Of Dogs and Men
by remthedogsitter
Summary: AU-ish kakairu  Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out who/what they are in time?
1. Prologue

**Of Dogs and Men **

**Author**: remthedogsitter

**Rating**: R (to be safe)

**Summary**: (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N**: This story has been roaming around in my head for a while and the plot bunnies are hounding me with a variety to the elements of: puppies, kakashi and a certain school teacher that doesn't exactly know what he's getting into.

**Prologue**

He could feel the sand gravel in his sandals as he jumped from tree to tree, the itchy sting of the wound on his shoulder that seemed to be bleeding a little, after an extended mission all he could think about now was a good long soak in the tub and a bowl of ramen from Ichiraku. Iruka closed his eyes for a little bit, meditating and concentrating on his breathing and chakra control almost perfectly as he kept his guard up, trusting his feet and muscle memory to take him back to the familiar gates of home.

A howl interrupted his thoughts, he paused to listen. It wasn't far off so the chunin decided to investigate, melding himself with his surrounding and concealing his chakra. In a clearing on the far right of his original route was a large Great Dane mix with the strap of a canvas bag in his jaws. The dog was almost crawling his way to the direction of Konoha, trail of blood coming from the ragged stump of bone and flesh where the lower part of his back leg was supposed to be.

Iruka observed a little longer, if this was a ninken it was a bound to have some kind of identification or hitai-ate and if it was one of the Inuzuka clan something must have happened. The dog, merle in color looked right in his direction with such certainty that it took the chunin by surprise since he was sure he was fully concealed. In any case, the dog whined louder trying to crawl in his direction before collapsing, its wide chest heaving from the effort.

There was a gentle ripple of chakra, he was almost sure of it but it didn't feel dangerous. After a quick scan of the area it didn't seem like a trap so the chunin dropped down to a few feet from the dog who followed him with its eyes. Upon closer observation Iruka realized how near death the dog actually was, near starvation and the pads of its paws worn down and bloodied. Weakly it gestured with its nose the canvas bag, Iruka's eyes widened at what he saw inside, a litter of few day old puppies sleeping peacefully no worse for wear compared to what their so to speak mother's condition.

He looked at the dog and realized the dog was looking back, almost looking happy before it finally relaxed, breathing slowing down to a stop. A puppy yawned in the bag before crawling on top of its siblings to go back to sleep as Iruka confirmed that the dog was indeed dead.

He stood after paying his respects before he made his way back to Konoha to report the incident along with his report. When he was insight of the gate he didn't notice the dog's body go up in a blanket of chakra flame.

"Yes Godaime the mission to Sand was a success and no problems." Iruka confirmed as Tsunade ran through the details of his mission. "However, on my way back I found a dog but I wasn't sure if it was a ninken. It didn't look like it belonged to the Inuzuka clan and it had no identification either."

"What was so odd about it then Iruka-sensei?" She cocked an eyebrow looking up from a document.

"I found it bloody and dying carrying a canvas bag crawling its way in the direction to Konoha." He coughed clearing his throat "The bag was filled with newborn puppies." He held placed the box he put them in on the table and Tsunade inspected one for anything odd.

"They look like normal dogs to me Iruka-sensei, they don't even seem to have enough chakra to be ninken. In any case you should check in with the Inuzuka clan, I'll send a team in the morning to inspect the remains of the dog you were talking about."

"Yes Godaime." Iruka bowed after taking the box from the table.

**A/N: **Continue or abandon? tell me what you think! :) i seriously want to get to all the good bits now with the pups and kakashi. i promise it'll get better xD


	2. Chapter 1: Blind Leading the Blind

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author**: remthedogsitter

**Rating**: R (to be safe)

**Summary**: (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N**: hmmm the mystery/plot thickens!

**Chapter 1**

Iruka waited patiently in the receiving area overlooking a wide courtyard, the pups thankfully were still asleep and he poked at the tea and biscuits in front of him absently. The Inuzuka clan, as it was, were more partial nocturnal so Tsunade suggested he get the matter looked into as soon as possible to be on the safe side. The moon was near full circle and the family had decided to have a hunt fun for the weekend and were supposedly returning tonight so he decided to wait since the caretaker mentioned they would be arriving soon.

The commotion signalled their arrival, a pack of dogs and humans rough housing always consisted of lots of barking and yelping from both parties. Tsume stepped in to room with a smile "Good evening Iruka-sen...sei" she stiffened all of a sudden, Kuromaru who joined her side did the same, ear set back against his head as his teeth bared little. The smaller pups of the pack started whimpering before Kiba and Akumaru shuffled everyone nearby out into the courtyard. Iruka tensed up as well, hand near his weapon holster unconsciously bringing the box where the pups were closer to him.

The two eyed the box next to Iruka's lap, then back to him.

"Where did you find those pups Iruka sensei?" Tsume asked finally, making a serious attempt to relax if only to ease the tension in the room, as she sat across him.

He explained the circumstances behind them and the Hokage's suggestions. "Should I be worried?"

"They don't smell like a threat Iruka-sensei." She crinkled her nose a little "There is just something foul about them that I cant quite place."

Iruka sighed and drank more of his now lukewarm tea.

"I'm sorry. I know what you're thinking, that maybe my pack could take them in or something along those lines." She coughed a little, Kuromaru edging a little closer to the box when Iruka protectively shifted it to his lap. "But I can't, as Godaime says they are not likely to be ninken. They are too young to be adopted out and need someone to take care of them like their momma would have, maybe I can tell my friend who is a pet shop keeper if he can take them in but he wont be back until next week."

"Thank you Tsume-san," Iruka pulled out a smile. "That would be best for them since I don't think I'd be able to raise them properly."

"I'm sorry to have to turn you and them away like this." There was a small change in tone when she referred to the puppies as them. Did they really smell that bad?

"It's alright, thank you for your time." He bowed to her and Kuromaru before leaving, box of puppies hugged close to his chest.

Half way home Iruka realizes that he forgot to ask the basics of taking care of newborn pups, it couldn't be that hard right? It was around 9pm when he reached his apartment with take out and groceries in one hand, box of puppies, bottles and puppy formula in another.

He gently set down the box on the kitchen floor, leaving the groceries and take out on the table before he went to take a quick shower and change his bandages. _Coffee would be good around now, maybe with a little vodka. _He thought walking into the kitchen in boxers and a loose black shirt while he briskly was trying to dry his hair. He didn't bother with a bowl from the cupboard anymore and just took out the take out containers with the disposable chopsticks and began tucking in.

The chunin wasn't even halfway until he heard the soft cries of a puppy followed by another and another until there was a chorus of yelps and whining as the puppies shuffled around in the box looking for milk. Iruka rushed to the stove to heat some water, he figured with the puppies being so young and small and all he should treat them like he would a baby (not that it made things any better, but at least it made it sound more possible than taking care of pups).

He checked the temperature of the milk with his hand, preparing a fairly large batch not sure how much he should be feeding them so he just filled the bottle 1.5oz since that didn't look like too much or too little for the size of the puppy that he could carry with one hand.

Iruka randomly picked up a yellow colored pup from the box who writhed and fussed around in his arms, darting its head this way and that looking for food, for some reason he just couldn't understand that milk came from the nipple of the bottle. After a few frustration moments of guiding the little one's head and mouth to the teat so it could drink properly for some reason, choosing instead to chew on it with the side of its mouth making little annoyed noises as it tried to find a comfortable position. Lots of bottle turning, head turning, puppy preferring to chew on hands and suck fingers and Iruka's vague words of encouragement before the puppy just gave up refused to take the bottle in its mouth, choosing instead to fall asleep in the man's hand. _One out of seven, _he sighed returning the puppy to the box and picking up another, _it's going to be a long night. _

Kakashi, bloodied and ragged stared point blank in front of him not having quite shrug off the killer mode he created within himself to cope while he was still a child going on A and S rank missions. He hated mercenary missions. His steps were sure and deliberate as he walked through the hall on the way to the Hokage's office, the ANBU at the door saw him and remembered that face from the days that sang the legend of the copy nin and stepped aside without a word.

Tsunade and Kakashi stared at each other for a few seconds before she decides to speak "I take your mission went well brat?"

"Depends on who you ask if it went well." He slouched in his usual manner but his features still held some of that tension from earlier. "They were not there as we suspected but I was able to take out a good amount of their manpower and sources on their supply route. It's the third one this month, Kabuto is bound to do something careless if we push them into a corner. They're getting desperate if they started negotiating with the small time drug dealers."

She rested her chin on her hands, elbows resting on the table. "I see. Well, good work brat, if wont be sending you out this week unless its really urgent, you need the break." She mentioned to the state he was in, thinner from when she last saw him and he had a seriousness about him that made her uneasy. Even Asuma, Gai and Kurenai weren't seeing him as much with all the brooding he's been doing without team 7, taking on instead more and more work to occupy himself."While you're around could you check on Iruka-sensei? He seems to have his hands full and the Inuzuka clan weren't able to help him for one reason or another. You're dismissed."

The jounin nodded his head a little in acknowledgement before he performed some seals and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He didn't feel like himself, not since Sasuke's departure almost felt like a stab in the back.

**A/N: **comments=love :D thanks for the encouragement guys and the plot bunnies are very happy too reviews for them is like figurines of Kakashi and Iruka made of chocolate. I'm thinking this story is going to be long, the chapter seems a little slow but expect something to happen in the next chapter or two later k? feel free to ask questions if anything seems a little vague


	3. Chapter 2: Curse of Cute

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author**: remthedogsitter

**Rating**: R (to be safe)

**Summary**: (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N**: finally kakashi and iruka meeting

**Chapter 2: Curse of Cute**

Kakashi throws out his torn mission clothes, the effort needed to wash out the blood out wasn't worth keeping it. He let his eye run over his apartment to make sure no one intruded in his apartment while he was away. Everything untouched and impersonal was the only thing he could see. The old plumbing in the shower heaved as he turned it on, eager to feel warm and wipe away the layer of filth that he felt he could not fully remove despite the rough bath cloth he used to scrub himself with. He was out of himself right now, his migraine from too much adrenaline not enough sleep or food was catching up to him. _I'm getting too old for this. _

He dries himself off quickly and gives his messy hair a quick rub before leaving the towel on his shoulder to catch the small drops still parachuting the wet strands. He pops his shoulder feeling better than he did when he came in. The bed was calling him with their soft blue sheets and his favorite which was probably one of the most expensive things in his house, if you're going to invest in something it may as well be the things you return to when you want to relax. He snuggles into the covers with a sigh knowing he cant sleep for more than a few hours so he might as well enjoy it while he can.

Two hours later his eyes open, they just do one their own his mind waking up all of a sudden without his consent, depriving him of the pleasure of slowly edging out of sleep into the waking world. He blinked away the fluorescent light that he forgot to shut off and sat up, he felt a thousand times better and himself now. He dressed in his jounin gear, tying on his hitai-ate, pulling up his mask and sitting on the windowsill to slip on his sandals before closing the lights and jumping out the window to be enveloped by the cool night air.

He found Iruka-sensei's house from what he remembered Naruto saying about it in passing or more fittingly it was always Iruka-sensei this or that whenever you would bring up the subject of his old sensei. The place was well guarded as expected however something a little too elaborate to Kakashi's taste noticing that a few of the traps were more for the pleasure the person who set it could get from anyone setting it off. He peaked into the window, Iruka was sitting in the couch asleep, half filled bottles littered the coffee table and a box lined with towels served as the puppies nest at the foot of the sofa. The jounin entered through the window and closed it after him, after looking into the box seeing the small things peacefully sleeping he went to the kitchen, ignoring the half eaten take out to inspect the case of puppy formula, he tsk-ed under his breath. He slipped out of the window again to pick up a few things.

Iruka was swimming through a muck of calm black, his breathing slow and his heart beat a sluggish pulse, his muscles relaxed and he was thinking of nothing. A sound however causes something in the back of his mind to stir, he feels its important like a life or death matter and he fells himself struggle through the thick fluid of sleep.

"Hello Iruka-sensei," the voice is familiar as his eyes clear up from sleep and he focuses on Naruto's white haired sensei. A puppy resting in his palm and expertly feeding from the bottle compared to a few hours ago when the little one was still in his care. "Tsunade sent me to check on you this week during my vacation." He explained looking at the chunin carefully.

"Ah... Thank you Kakashi-san." He replied quickly still trying to shake off his sleepiness from the puppies waking him up three times in a row right on the brink before he could fall asleep, his muscles were hurting and his shoulder would was acting up because he fell asleep on it. The chunin looked at Kakashi handle the puppies, the box next to him, a puppy on his lap asleep and one feeding from the bottle the copy nin was holding. Once the black fluffy puppy was done, it had little brown marks that look like socks, Kakashi rubbed it small body gently to burp it.

"I think there is something you don't know Iruka-sensei," Kakashi looked from the puppy to the chunin who moved to sit on the other side of the box. "Pups this young still can't go to the bathroom on their own." He began wiping the puppy's bottom with wet wipes until the puppy did its business and he deposited the soiled wipes in the trashcan pulled from the kitchen to be within arms reach from the couch. "Also I left a recipe for a better puppy formula than the store bought kind, I left a batch in the freezer."

Iruka nodded, noticing that the mess from earlier was cleaned up and the bottle on the table were gone. "Would you like anything to drink Kakashi-sensei?" he said remembering his manners.

"Tea would be nice." The visible eye arched to show he was smiling.

In the end Iruka ended up preparing a midnight meal for both of them, near a dozen rice balls between them only because Iruka insisted Kakashi looked paler than usual. The jounin however was not sure of that comment and just cradled two puppies on his lap. "Pups this young need feeding every two hours," he explained leaning back against the couch to, attention going back to his book. "Go to sleep sensei lets take four hour shifts, I'll wake you later."

Kakashi looked at the puppy in his hands, studying the little one carefully. He estimated they were nearing two weeks old, the details in their ears becoming intricate though they were still closed, their little eyes peeking out a little though he knew they still couldn't see very well. He made a mental note however to check in on their progress after likely losing weight and lots of precious feeding time. The little ones were too cold for comfort and even huddled together as they were they all didn't seem warm enough.

The jounin placed the puppy back in the box before picking the package up and heading for Iruka's room "Iruka-sensei?" he called but the chunin was too tired and deep asleep to notice. Kakashi arched an eyebrow thinking about his options before he stripped out of his vest, pants and hitai-ate. Iruka was conveniently loosely curled up in the sheets and the copy nin gingerly put all seven puppies in the crook of Iruka's body before edging in next to him making sure the puppies were ok, watching them shift in their sleep to go closer to the source of warmth.

Kakashi was close enough to hear Iruka breathing, his hair smelled like stale vanilla and shampoo, the state it was in with the strands free settled itself in the crooks and corners of his features. His sharingan was exposed and he watched the steady buzz of chakra flow with him and the puppies as well had their own ebb and pulse that glowed with a much rougher intensity, maybe even similar to the man's chakra beside him.

Consciously he closed Obito's eye but he continued to watch the chunin remembering the day he first spoke to him outside the mission room. The man looked worried and dishevelled different from the spirit that he saw between him and the Third and he couldn't help but push that man back in the right direction and go back to being someone he knew and admired. _People with spirit like that are incredibly simple_ he thought but it remembered Naruto's antics fondly. Eventually he lets his eyes slip closed.

Iruka woke up to the stream of sunshine of his face he looked about noticing the mould in the bed from where someone had been sleeping and four puppies curled up on top of him. The chunin moved and the puppies woke up, yawning wide and blinking their eyes making yipping sounds, a puppy with the marking of a raccoon wobbling on his chest nibbled on the surprised man's nose. Iruka grinned at the affection. He carried the four in this arms, hearing someone shuffling around in the kitchen guessed it was time for breakfast for all of them.

Kakashi just finished heating some bottles and putting batter in the waffle iron that Iruka hardly used these days, the black puppy with brown marking was on his shoulder and yellow and grey puppies were in his arms, one of them asleep and the other feeding on a bottle. "Have some breakfast sensei." His eye went up into an arch.

The jounin studied Iruka and the puppies, something was indeed odd, they seemed to be growing faster than what could be counted as normal, noting that the puppies doubled maybe even close to triple in size.

**A/N: anyone want to name puppies? Hehehe reviews keep me happy and keep me posting!**


	4. Chapter 3: Just because something

**Of Dogs and Men **

**Author**: remthedogsitter

**Rating**: R (to be safe)

**Summary**: (AU kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N**: Longest chapter so far, lots of Kakairu in here

**Chapter 3: Just because it looks like something, tastes like something and smells like something doesn't mean its what you're thinking of.**

The pups have grown exponentially since Iruka first found them, with Kakashi's judgment they were the equivalent of roughly one month old puppies after five days in their care. They needed less care but the housebreaking was still something to be desired since their little bodies couldn't handle holding it in for long.

"I'm home," Iruka once again developed the habit of calling when he entered the door and slipped off his shoes, the puppies enthusiastically hopping around him and licking whatever inch of skin they could.

"Welcome home." Kakashi greeted back from the kitchen. He was wearing a handkerchief in place of his mask just for the convenience of still being able to eat and cover his face at the same time. "Dinner in a few. The pups ate already."

"Ok." Iruka sounded out, making himself comfortable on the couch, the pups piling on his lap and shoulder for a petting session. It was amazing how easy they fell into a routine, since Kakashi was the one making the pup's meals it slowly became him cooking all the meals for all of them. Iruka would clean and leave the laundry in the morning and the copy nin would put them away in the afternoon. _I have him for the week, _his breath caught a little at thought _he's been in my bed, he's in my kitchen, in my shower _his thoughts began to wonder wistfully. Here was the man who he was head over heels for but whether it be good or bad to say he got over and accepted would be nothing more than a drunken kiss under the mistletoe at a New Year's Eve party hosted by the mission desk staff.

Kakashi was believe it or not the touchy sort of person, over dinner whenever he would pass Iruka something like chopsticks or a full bowl of rice, their fingers would touch. Or the jounin had this habit of pushing Iruka's hair out of his face whenever he let it down around the house and it was particularly messy, which was often. They slept in the same bed true, as Kakashi continued this after the first night because the chunin was aware and didn't give any sign of protest, even if there was a litter of puppies between them.

_Was this man cruel or bored enough to be doing this to him?_ Iruka looked up from his bowl of yakiniku to see Kakashi's eye arch to what translated as a smile. Two little black tipped ear looking like a shark hunting in the shallows were poking about until the familiar black masked face popped up. Tanuki took a real liking to the jounin, choosing to be in his company more often than not whether napping or playing tag. Kakashi picked up a little meat from his bowl with his chopsticks to feed the little one who after finishing the treat licked his chops and nuzzled his head against the copy nin's chest in thanks before hoping down.

"Sensei are you busy tomorrow evening?" The jounin asked as he cleared the dishes, the pups still prone to the soft habits of newborns were already in bed asleep and practically occupying half the space with their growth spurts.

"Just a short shift at the mission desk, why?"

"Nothing just wondering." He muttered vaguely and didn't say anything more.

The evening couldn't start soon enough, there was a small advanced class he had to teach that morning as requested by the hokage, they were some of these new recruits more of orphans from some of the smaller allied villages that had been victim to a crossfire from a mission here and there. They were well behaved at least but this seemed to be the kind of class that would become out of hand given time and the opportunity.

Curiosity was over taking him more than anything.

"Anything wrong Iruka you looked flustered again." Genma said teasingly poking him in the side as they were fixing up the last of the boxes for storage.

"Nothing."

"So, you sleep with Kakashi yet?" he smirked

"NO." Almost immediately his face turned hot and scarlet "Of course not why would I?"

"Your blush gives you away every time." He chuckled "I thought you were over him."

Iruka waved his hand back and forth in a dismissive manner "Of course I am but ever heard of the phrase out of sight out of mind? Kind of hard to forget a person you're living with, no matter how temporary it is."

"Uh-huh." Raidou poked him too joining the fun "I still can't forget how fast you went for that whore after our delivery mission last month just because he had white hair."

"It was your fault for getting me drunk and pushing me in that direction in the first pla—" he paused midsentence when all three of them looked in the direction of a tapping sound on the window.

It was Kakashi knocking on the glass, his nose buried in Icha-Icha, though it was a wonder how he could read with nothing so much as moonlight out tonight.

Iruka cursed under his breath and composed himself.

"Go on lover boy." Genma sniggered, giving the chunnin's ass an encouraging push in the right direction. "Me and Rai will finish up here."

"Don't worry about the pups Sensei I got someone to babysit." Kakashi said as he knotted his handkerchief behind his head and pulling down his mask. The sushi restaurant was in the older part of the village which he didn't really frequent.

_Since when did we understand each other without talking? _Iruka wondered realizing that the man answered his question before he opened his mouth to ask, that he followed him knowing he was going to take him to dinner, that the man left the light in the bathroom open just when he was thinking of taking a shower and not anytime else and those were just some instances now that he thought about it.

"Kakashi-sensei not to sound rude," Iruka started putting a piece of what Kakashi ordered for them, which had the strange semblance to well marbled beef or sirloin. "But is anything... wrong..." he trailed off as he chewed, the ootoro melting in his mouth. The chuninn had only heard about this, the best cut of tuna sushi money could buy, the small belly part of every tuna. _Damn its not my weakness for food... just good food. _

"Mah always accusing me of planning something." He waves his hand dismissively in an exaggerated manner. It seems outside his apartment, they were back to how they were before the puppies were in the picture. "Why can't I be nice to my favorite teacher-before-me-being-a-teacher-to-my-students-now?"

"Because I'm the only one?" He snorted, for some reason he missed this side of Kakashi.

"Well that too," Kakashi chuckled eating some more of the sushi "Doesn't that make you special? The one and only." The last part was said more wistfully and with a certain look that Iruka couldn't quite place. _What am I to you really?_

"Kurenai talked to me yesterday, it seems she cant find a pet store willing to take in the pups." He said changing the subject before taking some of the sake waiting for either of them to start drinking.

"I don't see why we can't keep them." Kakashi shrugged draining a cup of sake himself.

Iruka noticed his his use of _we, what did that mean exactly? _

In all seriousness you could give him, Kakashi laid his hand on the table next to where Iruka's was. "I'm leaving on an S-rank mission tomorrow. It's expected to be a week or two long but I don't know when I'll be back."

So that's what this is about, he was just trying to butter him up so he wouldn't be as mad at him for leaving him with the pups at home.

"The pups wont be much of a bother now, it took some time but they're house broken... practically and recipes of food in a small notebook on top of the fridge. They're good with kids I made sure cause I've been taking them to the playground every afternoon..."

Iruka started to giggle or maybe it was the alcohol talking but Kakashi was starting to resemble a mother hen more and more every day. "Kakashi I never knew you were the mothering type."

"Mah Iruka, if you didn't notice I have a soft spot for dogs." He smiled before taking another drink. "I mean look at Pakkun, a face only a mother could love but don't tell him I said that."

"My parents never let me have pets." Iruka muttered into his glass before downing some more sake "And I was kinda turned off from canines well after you know... that incident."

Kakashi put his fingers lightly on top of Iruka's knuckles in a comforting gesture and using the other hand to fill both their glasses.

"But I'll take care of them don't worry."

Running from his apartment to the village gates wasn't necessarily a difficult thing, but with seven puppies in tow in a box, a bag filled with a mess of bowls, leashes and a few toys that in itself could be a B-rank mission all on its own.

"KAKASHI!" he called echoed by a sound of excited barks.

The white haired jounin looked back eyebrow cocked up in question. "Weren't you supposed to be on your way to the academy sensei?"

The chunin didn't say anything, fumbling through the stuff in the bag under a few packs of home made dog treats and plushies was a bento box carefully wrapped in a blue handkerchief. He handed it to a wide eyed Kakashi without word.

"When you get back we talk. Ok?" Iruka said with a finality he put on his brave face but his knees were shaking. The pups around an estimated five months in size and still growing waited patiently at their feet, not playing stuff my wet nose in your clothes and see how much you scream game for once.

The copy nin blinked, looking from the box in his hand to Iruka. "Ok." His eye made the arch that in Kakashi language meant he was smiling before he turned to leave.

"Come back safe ok." The chunnin said quietly, half of him wishing that the other man did not hear it.

"I will." Was said just as quietly back before Kakashi leapt into the wilderness of the outside to accomplish his mission.

_Preview: (finally more of the puppies) _

_ "Ok class, throwing practice today." Iruka clapped his hands as the kids formed a line as he taught them before they could go outside. Thankfully his classroom was overlooking the practice area and the pups were down for an afternoon nap after lunch. _

_ ..._

_ As the kids were throwing their weapons Iruka's sense reacted before his mind could as he went and caught several kunai that ricocheted in the wrong direction towards one of his charges. He caught them in time, the little boy in his arms hardly realized what happened. The teacher sighed relived and patted the boy on the head before he heard a shout and a very dog like yelp "IRUKA-SENSEEIII!"_

**A/N: sorry for the long update, I wanna mull over this story for a while longer and I've been busy (and even busier in the days to come) but I'll update eventually, as for typos, I have no betas at the moment sorry : ( there are only so many things I can find on my own and since I wrote it I tend to overlook some. thanks to all who suggested a name for the pups :D and all those who wrote in this fandom before me (the handkerchief idea) and amongst other idiosyncrasies found here. Thanks to beck for Tanuki (lol that name was floating on top of my head too) and jay345sal28 for that names you'll see some of them soon *hint hint* I'll try to get more things happening in the next chapter or two and the true nature of the pups as well *dun dun dun***


	5. Chapter 4:the wheels are turning

**Of Dogs and Men **

**Author**: remthedogsitter

**Rating**: R (to be safe)

**Summary**: (AU kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N**: Lots of things happening in this chap

**Chapter 4: The wheels are turning**

"Ok class, throwing practice today." Iruka clapped his hands as the kids formed a line as he taught them before they could go outside "Remember we're using real weapons today so be careful." Thankfully his classroom was overlooking the practice area and the pups were down for an afternoon nap after lunch. After a formal introduction the class didn't seem too distracted of the puppies penned up in the back of the classroom because they were mostly given to sleeping and silent play fighting if they were awake.

This, what would you call it, class of misfits were a bunch of troublemakers put together that no one actually stood apart except for the few who were seemingly quiet and well behaved. Overall, the class performance was thankfully average and compared to the first day they had together the children looked to be eating better and achieving some sort constancy in their lives for once.

As the kids were throwing their weapons Iruka's sense reacted before his mind could as he went and caught several kunai that ricocheted in the wrong direction towards one of his charges. He caught them in time, the little boy in his arms hardly realized what happened. The teacher sighed, relieved and patted the boy on the head before he heard a shout and a very dog like yelp "IRUKA-SENSEEIII!" and the sound of a kid crying.

His head shot in the direction, inwardly cringing at the tone that usually meant something terrible happened. To his surprise it was two of the puppies that managed to escape through the window, Ran a blue pitbull mix looking pup was crouched in a scared defensive position with his tail between his legs while Aya, a very foxlike pup with a fawn saddle and black markings was standing in front of him with three kunais in her mouth, long fluffy tail wagging as if she was ready to play.

"Sensei I'm sorry I was ...practicing my throwing when... Ran suddenly bolted in..." the boy Ginro tried to explain between his crying and sniffles what happened.

Iruka cocked an eyebrow toward the direction of the pups, Aya put the kunais down in front of her wagging her tail even more and letting out a small excited bark. Ran was calming down realizing he wasn't in any danger and was running towards the kid who was crying to lick his face. Tentatively, the chunin took one of the practice kunai, blunt and not deadly, and threw it a foot away from where Aya was watching him. She caught it accurately before it could even hit a target. She ran toward him, prize held proudly in her mouth that she deposited at his feet. Unsure of what to do he just patted her on the head and gave her a scratch behind the ears.

Before he could dwell too much on the incident before he was tackled by another three puppies that managed to escape and poke him with wet noses. In the end throwing practice became an afternoon of children and random running fuzzballs which he remembered needed to get baths and their nails trimmed. It wasn't a wasted day when he thought about it, at least the kids and the pups looked happy.

He brought the pups home, pleasantly tired and he hardly noticed the odd looks he was getting from people on the way as he was seemingly escorted by a pack of seven scruffy looking dogs.

_Don't forget to feed them veggies. _The note from Kakashi said with a small happy face on it, it seemed that veggies were on the puppies' enemy list when he first tried to feed them broccoli. Thankfully with the help of a blender, chicken stock and gravy mix the pups are non the wiser of the little trick he pulled on them. Iruka smiled pleased with himself as he ladled the thick deceptive sauce over seven bowls filled with meat and rice, even more when the pups buried their faces in their bowls. The kitchen floor was crowded and he ended up sitting on the counter with a bowl of ramen to himself. _I should think about moving somewhere bigger... with a yard. _He looked at them fondly before he noticed on of them Nao, the white shiba inu like pup with a few flecks of blue and lazy grey eyes reminding him a lot of Kakashi for some reason, the laid back disposition and hanging back from the rest of the crowd. Nao looked at him and met his eyes for a moment before lifting his lips in the canine like smile of his with his eyes crinkling up in an arch that was scarily familiar.

The next morning Iruka fed the pups and left them in the apartment with a kagebunshin, _a few hours won't hurt_ he thought to himself with his small pack of materials and water for an early morning training session. He exited the Konoha gates, waving to Raido and Genma on his way out. After a thirty minute walk he reached a familiar clearing with the small telltale signs of past training session, good and bad. He closed his eyes to analyze the area of any threats before he made a few familiar seals for the kagebunshin technique and three separate Iruka's scattered into the forest. The good thing about training like this is the practice of analyzing several perspectives in any one scenario and it was not as if he shared any link with his clones if he chose not to and the only time their memories would be made one is that if the clone was destroyed. It was traps and distraction techniques today before he took a composing breath and launched to his hiding place.

After an hour he managed to bring down on clone but triggered an exploding tag trap that the clone was trying to lure him into. He managed enough with a transportation jutsu that he just learned recently but not without a mild burn on his right wrist. His senses peaked up when he sensed one of his clones being destroyed suddenly, searching through the memories it was a sneak attack from behind.

He stiffened up and hid himself into his surroundings, hiding his chakra as well he waited. His last clone was likely still unaware of the situation so he might as well function as bait for this scenario. He ran an inventory of traps he had laid in the area, a chakra sealing on northeast less ten minutes away, a exploding tag trap set in a covered ditch west from his location and the opposite direction from where he last felt his unknown attackers and a few other minor traps meant to distract here and there.

He clutches his chest when he feels the slightest touch of something against his neck right on top of the jugular vein as the clone was destroyed and all he could pull from its memories were seven vague figures. He weighed his options again, outnumbered seven to one and the gate was much too far to make a break for it, presently with his limited chakra stores he wouldn't be able to manage more clones much less anything that would be able to get him away from the seven presences that were somewhere in the woods with him.

A long winded howl followed by several others made his blood run cold.

Kakashi's sharingan spinned rapidly as he made his way through the hidden facility searching for the emergency route he prepared a few days before he decided to finally infiltrate Orochimaru's present base of activity, it was more than a month since he last had contact with the village and nearly two since he left for his mission. The mutated embryos of both beast and human floated around in a sickly green liquid in large glass aquariums throughout the facility. It seems as Orochimaru's new found project was the mixing of nin beasts, chakra and bloodline limits, most as he has seen from the vat of 'rejects' were grotesque failures.

There was a new secret weapon being developed in the inner most holding chambers of the facility and the immensity of chakra would even rival the Kyuubi with it sinister intent and the potential of havoc it would cause if it was let loose on the village. The copy nin clutched the scroll tightly in his hand, it contained vital bits of information and the familiar route he had planned was still nowhere in sight, a ragged breathing and a small quake was felt as large paws met the concrete floor of the facility, chasing him with both delight and killing intent.

Kakashi made several hand signs and summoned Pakkun to his side, the odds were not faring well in his favor, having suffered a bite in the arm from the creature before and it seemed to have some kind of toxin in its saliva. He handed the scroll to the pug who didn't ask any immediate questions realizing the situation. "Take this back to the village Pakkun."

"Any personal messages I should deliver boss?" He muttered taking the scroll. As a summon he shared a bond with the silver haired man more than he would like to admit and he knew the happenings in the village when he appeared in the man's apartment without a certain jounin there and instead asleep with another pile of dogs in someone else's bed.

"Tell him to take care of them and you guys as well in case I don't make it." he said after a few moments of silence and another wrong term that frustrated him, it was as if the building itself was changing at will and each corridor seemed like the last and the one before it. "Tell him I'm sorry I couldn't come back safe." He said the last part quietly before turning around and going in the opposite direction with Pakkun in his arms to throw him under a beast so huge its had to hunch its head to fit in the corridor. Drool dripped from its long jaw, three sets of eyes looking in several directions at once, lips pulled back in a sinister lupine like grin as its crimson fur bristled in delight.

**A/N: finally the story is going somewhere :D sorry this chapter took forever judo and the litter of puppies I'm taking care of is keeping me busy amongst other things. **


	6. Chapter 5: Secrets

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

Chapter 5: Secrets

Iruka calmed himself, the howl sounded blood thirsty and excited but eerily familiar, he heard a howl like that once when he was a little younger and out on a mission in Iron Country, it was a pack of wolves on the hunt, chasing after a herd of reindeer. He would not die here he decided, hand clasping around the cold metal of a kunai. He would run them to the explosive tag trap trigger it then make a break for the chakra sealing area since it wouldn't make much of a difference with his chakra stores being so low but it would at least give him the chance of an opening.

He felt them a few feet away, back towards him and he decided it was the best chance he had with the element of surprise. However the sight of the figures stopped him in his tracks, it was his pack of puppies, bloodied muzzles, fur bristling rushing towards him in lips wrinkled back to reveal their sharp permanent canines that were just coming in. _Fightorflightfightorflight _his thoughts were running ahead of him, these were the pups he raises so to speak were about to bite the hand that feeds them, as ninja he long ago had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of having to against all the friend and people he loved for the ultimate cause of the village but... these were his pups. The pups he chose to save and raise, therefore his responsibility to bring down if they were a threat to the village. The hand around the kunai that was shaking was grasped firmer with resolve, he was going to stand his ground and strike when he literally saw the whites of their eyes.

Izo a Doberman looking dog charged in his direction in a snarl at his throat in a leap. Iruka didn't notice that he closed his eyes when he struck, the feeling of falling on his back from the impact and the pup falling on top of him. The kunai had imbedded himself in the shoulder and Izo gave a yelp before whining like a rejected puppy, he licked Iruka's face, ears dropping down as if he was asking for forgiveness.

Blood fell on his face as well as he came to his senses, the pups were playing with him. He had seen that kind of play fighting before that looked near an actually dog fight with the snarling and pouncing but no one was really hurt in the end. Izo got off him, limping on leg where the shoulder was wounded, at once the guilt on Iruka's face was evident.

"Izo..." tentatively he reached out his hand towards the pup who licked it but still kept a little way away, there was a steady stream of blood coming from the wound. He stroked his head gently "I'm sorry."

One of the larger puppies, Kaimu, a Tibetan mastiff mix, black with light golden colored paws sniffed at the kunai before taking it in its mouth and pulling it out. Izo visibly twitched before sinking to the floor whining, the blood flowing freer now. Iruka's eyes widened when he noticed the familiar feel of Tsunade's healing chakra coming from Kaimu and rapidly healing the wound.

The chunin cleared his throat "Aya, where did the blood come from?"

The fox like pup ear's pricked up at the sound of her name before she trotted off and returned with a torn hitai-ate in her mouth, the blood around her muzzle was dry. She dropped the object in his waiting hand and looking pleased with herself. It was a hitai-ate with the symbol of the hidden village of sound.

Tsunade looked up from the scroll then at Pakkun's low face on the table, he wasn't his usual obnoxious self. Kakashi's chakra was ebbing so small now that he could hardly feel it and he could feel the same unrest going through the rest of his pack.

The information contained was mainly the monster that Orochimaru was keeping in the basement of his latest laboratory. Aside from collecting Jutsu and bodies of fallen ninja that man has somehow found a way to store chakra of any living being in large quantities that included tailed beast chakra as well. There was a recent interest in the potential of nin beasts as well but there was only the small note of Orochimaru discovering an old wolf pack out in the mountains that had the ability to absorb and adapt chakra into their bodies which was what he used to research the careful selection and breeding until he developed his monster. The beast had the accelerated growth and was constantly fed different kinds of chakra in large quantities, three sets of eyes from what was gathered contained one or another form of ocular jutsu from the hidden leaf amongst other potential bloodline limits from other villages from Orochimaru's own personal life collection.

The base it was noted could never be found in the same place twice due to an elaborate maze built on charka and chakra suppression methods and traps. There was also a small personal scrawl at the end _don't come for me, I plan on destroying this beast even if I have to take it down with me. _

_These creatures are of nurture as well, they grow depending on the chakra that is fed to them or they absorb without their caretakers knowing. The pups wont be a danger to the village. _

It was obvious that Kakashi was insinuating that Iruka was the best possible caretaker for the litter. The academy teacher had this kind of warm chakra that raised good kids, the kind that the village needs more than the ones that raise cold hearted killers.

"Will you be able to lead a team back there Pakkun?"

"I looked back at one point but there wasn't even any trace of the entrance anywhere."

"I see." She closed her eyes, thinking. "We'll send a team there nonetheless, we can't give up without trying. If this monster is as powerful as Kakashi claims, we best destroy it while it isn't at full strength yet."

Pakkun shuddered at the thought, he felt Orochimaru's curse chakra fuelling it entwined with several other darker chakras "That thing was almost like Kyuubi. I can tell you one set of its eyes were the Uchiha sharingan."

Tsunade bit her lip, looking out the window. She needed time to think about this.

Iruka made lunch for all of them and cleaned up the pups, how was he supposed to tell the Hokage what his pups just did, true they were enemy ninja but it was the fact that they were able to take down five rogue ninja by themselves was beyond him. There was something odd about everything that happened though, where did they learn who was friend or foe? How to fight in general against ninja?

He remembered that they've been going to school with him for the past month and the topics discussed were teamwork, battle tactics, basic survival skills, his long winded speech about defending the village that was now their home. He started to wonder too, how smart these pups actually were.

A tap on the window got his attention.

He had only seen Pakkun once or twice around the village and Kakashi bribing him with a steak or something. He opened the window and the pug dropped down to the floor "Yo." It said in a familiar manner and raising on of its front paws in greeting. "Boss told me to help you take care of the pups."

"That was... nice of him." Iruka said, two months without any word of the jounin and now here's his ninken. "Have you eaten yet Pakkun? I have the pups down for a nap but I can heat some leftovers for you."

Pakkun grinned at the offer "I like you better than boss gives you credit for Sensei." And trots to the kitchen.

"How's the mission going Pakkun?" Iruka asked casually putting together some rice and meat stew together. The town butcher gives him a big discount now on the tougher cuts of meat and bones but throwing it together in a pressure cooker for the day usually makes it as good as any cut of sirloin.

"Classified." He grumbled, sitting in the middle of the kitchen looking at the chunin expectantly.

_Figures. _Iruka thought putting the heavy bowl down in front of the ninken who said a quick "itadekimas" before greedily burying his face in the tasty smelling mound of food. The chunin had put a little extra meat in it, guessing that the mission was difficult considering Kakashi being away for so long and Pakkun not mentioning that the mission was going well.

Iruka leaned back on the counter watching him eat "Pakkun, are ninken born ninken like ninjas?"

"Most of the time." He said between a mouthful, not really paying attention to the question. "But not necessarily, same with your human offspring yes? Some can just develop chakra control."

The chunnin nodded and went to the other room to check on the pups. Iruka's pack or what you could call it was sprawled on almost every surface from the bed to the floor, from what he could tell they were at full growth yet remembering that Kakashi mentioned in passing that big paws meant big dogs in the future. Akiyo a slender looking spitz merle in markings was perched on the highest point in the room possible, which was on top of the cabinet. The long white slender tail was hanging off the side and the pup was curled up into a tight round ball, it was elegance not power that radiated from her personality being more catlike that his siblings.

"Pakkun I have to go to the mission desk, would you mind watching the kids?" Iruka didn't even notice his interchanging of pups and kids sometimes. "I'd bring them but last time I did I was rewriting mission reports for a week. I'll be back for dinner you can stay if you want." He took the grunt from the kitchen as a yes before he toed on his sandals and left for his shift.

"Iruka," the small group in the mission room called out to him consisting of Genma, Raidou and Kotetsu "Did you hear about the group of sound nin that were found dead this afternoon a little way away from the Konoha gates?"

The school teacher looked up, eyes widening he had almost totally forgot about the incident that morning.

"Serves them right if you ask me." Izumo walked in the door, most likely to invite them out for some drinks since their shift was almost over.

"The report said it looked like an attack by ninken or maybe some wild dogs but the Inuzuka clan wasn't anywhere near there."

"The ANBU are investigating though since it seems one or two of them in the group were in the bingo book." Raidou put in leaning back into his chair "From the looks of it some of them are disappointed cause there was some big bounty on those heads."

"They're probably fighting over the corpses now I bet." Genma joked and looked around in a exaggerated manner "Careful they might hear us."

Eventually the conversation strayed and Iruka excused himself to go to the bathroom. _Will Godaime take them away if I tell her? _His thoughts wandered from the pups to Kakashi and Pakkun's sudden arrival, there had to be something wrong with all this.

**A/N: is anyone still reading this? xD lets ignore Kakashi for a while but I promise to have lots of fanservice later k? I'm making little sketches of the puppies and if I'm happy with it I'll slip it into one of the next chapter x3 R&R make me happy! :D**


	7. Chapter 6: Outclassed

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**Chapter 6: Outclassed**

Iruka stood at the entrance of the residence and blinked, heavy boxes in his arms ignored. It was a well protected piece of land, surrounded by the forest and what he felt was some sort of genjutsu. A wide field with an old two story Japanese house at its center and the house was surrounded by a garden and from what he could tell a few fruit trees behind it. Pakkun had informed him that Kakashi said that pups were probably too big to be living in that apartment in the middle of the village so it would be better if they had somewhere to run in the fresh air.

"He raised us here Sensei, like his father." Pakkun informed him trotting on the loose gravel path towards the house. Kakashi's other ninken were there to greet them, still wearing their vests and hitai-ates.

The pups stood a little behind Iruka, they liked Pakkun well enough but the pug wasn't exactly a patient teacher and prone to hit them on the nose if they did something he didn't like. Aya was perched on the chunnin's shoulder, only she and Akiyo didn't look like they were going to grow much bigger than a large house cat.

"Kids, these are Kakashi's ninken ok?" the chunnin said trying to calm the tension. "Be nice." It sounded more like they would hurt more than the other way around but the pups listened to his judgement and touched noses with their seniors. In no time though they were all running through the field leaving Nao looking bored and napping in a corner and Iruka and Pakkun.

"If Kakashi is away who feeds you guys?" Iruka asked as the pug led him to what would be his room.

"Mostly just hunt for ourselves since the game here is good. We keep the house clean and the garden tended if he's away too, the lazy bastard." Pakkun grumbled. "But boss said you would be coming if I brought the pups here and he left food money so you could feed us too." One could see how he looked forward to that.

"Ok again. Attack formation B guys" Pakkun barked from his perch on the tree, his brothers were panting hard and the pups were still being smug about themselves, the three of the seven still hidden somewhere. The pups were getting more and more organized as the days went by but they still had to establish a pecking order if they wanted a solid pack.

"Oy BISUKE!" Pakken growled when the yellow ninken just stopped moving. _Shit thats genjutsu but who...? _

Despite the distraction Bull managed to get into position, ready to ram into the line of defense as Uhei and Urushi attack from the front. Akiyo however had other ideas and in an instant appeared in their faces on pure speed and playfully bit Uhei on the nose before disappearing. The surprise on the other hand cause him to stumble into Kaimu who headbutt him at least five feet away into the tree Pakkun was in.

The pups own personal skills were still developing and their control over their 'talents' was still a little out there but from what he could tell they had inherited Iruka's superb chakra control and judgement. The pups scattered again in different directions and everything was quiet for a few seconds, Bisuke was on Bull's back unconscious.

Pakkun and Guruko sensed it first "Run!" and the ninken managed to get out of the way in time when a loud voice rasped "Sealed Bomb Square Release!" and several exploding tags the ninken didn't notice exploded.

The pug's brow crinkled down in a frown, from what he knew that technique was one of Iruka's. "Ok guys time out you win this round." He called counting his losses.

The pups came out from their hiding place, Kaimu checking the ninken over to make sure they were injured.

"Ok which one of you can talk now?" Pakkun grumbled.

Aya cleared her throat "It just came out." Her voice was still raspy but understandable.

"Anyone else?" he watched as her littermates were moving their mouths into what could be formed into words, it looks like they would all be able to talk eventually, recalling that he said Kakashi's name for the first time when he was four months old. He sighed as the pups were looking more like gaping fish right now "Ok enough of that, for now lets not tell Iruka-sensei for now and scare him halfway into the grave ok?"

Recalling something Kakashi said about Iruka, maybe just maybe he could pull this mission from Tsunade off.

That is how the school teacher's days felt as if he had adopted a whole family instead of the past single life that he was used to. No more going out to drink themselves to the next millennia, he had to go home to feed the 'kids', there were some days the pups went to school because Pakkun and the others were as he was told being summoned by their master. The topic of Kakashi's mission was always tactfully avoided and the sound nin incident faded in favor of the latest gossip of a certain Sand nin and Shikamaru. Pakkun told him one night as he was grading papers that the pups were near full growth.

"Sensei, their not exactly ninken you know." The pug sneezed "Their maybe a little more than that."

Iruka knew that Pakkun had been training them in the afternoons, what else could explain an appetite like they were being starved and sleeping through the night like the dead? Well Tanuki didn't seem to need sleep, mostly slipping away after dinner with the other ninken and the chunin would only see him again in the morning in the room. Its not that he was against this, going behind his back and all but he would have appreciated at least the heads up.

"Then why did Tsume say there was something foul about them?" he didn't mean for his tone to be so bitter, his temper was showing again.

"If you didn't notice sensei they've been drawing your chakra but I don't think they're aware they do." Pakkun said jumping up onto the table to better look at the man. "Boss told me when you were still taking care of them when you found them, young as they were, they would have drained your chakra dry if he didn't pitch in."

Iruka blinked staring at the pug and trying to swallow the new information, if what Tsume meant by foul is parasite it kind of made sense. The incident in the woods when Kaimu healed Izo with a chakra so similar to Godaime, the reflexes at the academy during throwing practice. _Shit. _

"Boss told me before about you Iruka-sensei." Pakkun's look softened "Some time after he was your team commander and a little after you became a school teacher. You were one of the most balanced ninja he had on a team but your trap making skills and genjutsu would make ANBU blush if you had a way of being in more than one place at once but you're not blessed with inhuman amounts of chakra like Naruto."

The chunnin blushed at the praise but before he could say anything more the pug jumped from the table saying "I've already said too much, goodnight sensei."

Extra part just cause I cant resist the cuteness

Iruka looked around the room from his bed, he could hear the crickets from the outside singing, the windows were open to let the cool breeze in. The pups were asleep except Tanuki who thinks he was 'secretly' leaving at night, it seemed almost ages since Iruka last saw him sleeping, he was like a dog painted with racoon markings now than anything.

Nao woke with a start, looking around, his siblings were all asleep in their own spots chosen for the night and he looked at Iruka, not quite asleep but staring at the ceiling. The pup had this habit of only opening one eye in a very Kakashi like manner and Pakkun told him it was because he was blind in that eye, true enough it was just a milk sightless eye that stared at him when he checked.

The white pup inched his way into the bed and deposited himself beside the chunnin, he was almost as long as the man by now, from the end of his nose to the tip of his tail. He let Iruka roll on his side and snake one arm under his neck and around his head and the other arm draped loosely over his shoulders.

"Nao do you think Kakashi is ok?" Iruka whispered, absently stroking the pup's muzzle.

The other replied with his eye going up in an arch, a positive sign.

"Yeah you're right, of course he's ok." The chunnin hugged the other close "No one can take him down, he's too stubborn. And he said he'd come back safe right? Damn why am I even worrying, he just stayed with me cause of you guys."

Nao made a neutral sound and licked his face.

"Let's go to sleep now dear one." Iruka yawned he was starting to call the pups that now, the name Kakashi called them when they were young and a lot of the time sickly. "You can stay here tonight."

The chunin didn't notice that the pup stopped masking his chakra when the man was close to sleep. The dominant chakra that he held was the familiar buzz of wind and lightning. He let their chakra's mingle in a figure eight pattern between them thanks to the close contact. Iruka buried his face in his neck muttering something that vaguely sounded like Kakashi.

**A/N: I'm posting this chapter early cause I'm going away for the weekend :D **


	8. Chapter 7: Challenges

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**Chapter 7: Challenges**

It began as any other day, Iruka stretching in the morning sun, enjoying the quiet of the early morning and everything smelling new and wet before he goes to the kitchen to make breakfast for the near two dozen residence that live in the Hatake estate presently. Sometimes all of this stillness leads the chunin to wistfully believe at least somewhere in the back of his mind that this place is home, only to be reminded of the several personal decorations the copy nin kept around the house such as a few pictures of himself and team seven, the ANBU masks and short swords that decorated a wall in one of the hallways and a wide bookshelf that alongside some high literature were Icha Icha paradise. He prepared for the days as usual with his books and some papers in a small messenger bag before checking to see if the pups were ready.

The man's class of misfits were doing well for themselves and as a treat he promised they could play with the puppies that day and they were on their way home now. He looks at the pups following behind him easily through the trees he notices how big they've gotten, no longer pups but near full grown dogs. Its been almost three months since he last saw Kakashi and the thought almost made him uncomfortable, living in the absent man's house. But he learned to stop asking questions after getting the same answers.

Aya was the first one who stopped first and her fur bristled, lips drawn back growling. Tsume and his former student was with her, Kiba and their respective partners but the thing he was taken aback with was the fact they were poised in a position to attack him.

"Tsume-san-?" Iruka jumped out of the way as she attacked, her distinct wolfish appearance radiating in the desire to hunt and kill. "Kiba what is the meaning of this?"

"Sorry sensei." Kiba growled going into attack position as well with Akamaru. "Ma said those dogs are dangerous."

The chunnin took a breath and took to the trees Aya by his side shooting a few glances at him hopefully, he didn't know where the other pups were but he could feel their chakra's surge a little before disappearing and he realized their cloaking skills were on par with his.

"Aya, can I trust you to do what I say?" Iruka said quietly forming seals and sending two clones in several other direction to find the other pups.

"Yes." She replied ignoring when he cocked his eyebrow up in question. "And yes Pa I didn't tell I could talk sorry but I was still learning then."

He didn't notice that he grinned at what she called him. "Our goal is to restrain them ok? Kill will be our last resort and I want to avoid that."

"I know." She said quietly "We worked on the flaw of the Sealed bomb square release, the barrier and sealing technique as well."

"But how-?"

"Pa, as a pack our chakra flows together, aside from our own individual ones, we inherited yours as our anchor." She smiled in that fox like grin of hers. "Its the one I love best if you ask me."

He analyzed the new information as well as the ones he was receiving from the clones.

"Akiyo's genjutsu wont hold them for long."

"I've got an idea." Iruka muttered "We funnel the two into the clearing you met me after what happened with the sound nin, Tanuki's technique has the best chance of working there right?"

"He hasn't perfected sandtrap yet but Izo should be able to cover for that for now."

"As long as we can get them there a few second window is all I need." He considered his options again and how well he could hold a barrier since this was his first time working with the pups in an actual battle.

"How are the pups' progress?" Tsunade looked at Pakkun hoping for good news, the last four team she sent hardly even made it out alive and didn't even see the beast.

"They're better than we both expected." He grunted. "As you suspected Hokage-sama their system is built with Iruka as the center with them covering his limitations, I mean his skill level is already jounin to begin with but now he may as well surpass the Boss."

"Have all their 'talents' made themselves known yet?" She asked reading through the ANBU report of the sound nin. One was burned and cut in the jugular vein, two with their throats torn out, one was blown beyond recognition thanks to a modified Sealed bomb square release and the last one had holes shot through it by a still unknown projectile.

"A few of them are still struggling, but so far all I've been seeing is bloodline limits from the Leaf as well as Sand and Mist. One of them seems to have your chakra as well Hokage-sama." Pakkun scratched behind his ears with his back paw. "But I'll tell you their judgement is as good as any ninja, they have his strategy skills and Boss' stubborn cheekiness. I've already taught them all I could."

"I only remember healing one of them, the one that had a fever and the brat brought it to me in the middle of the night." Her brow furrowed in thought. "They can pick up chakra characteristics that fast?"

"I don't know much about that but it seems that way." The pug sneezed. "You're really sending them after the boss if your pass your test?"

"They might as well be the best shot we have," She sighed. "The labyrinth from the reports is difficult to navigate having to separate from all the different chakras there which is basically a mess and the genjutsu traps."

"We'll come with them." Pakkun said giving his head a shake. "The boss left us in Iruka-sensei's care along with the rest of his material holdings, if he's still alive I'd rather see it through."

One of Iruka's eyes were closed as blood flowed freely from the cut above his eyebrow. Ran and Izo suffered from the worst of it having had an upfront battle with Kuromaru and Akamaru, their ears were in bloody ribbons. They managed to keep their enemy on the zigzag course to the trap with several well placed exploding tags.

The chunin barely noticed the cut on his thigh as finally the clearing came into view, Izo and Tanuki were already in position and Akiyo running above him was ready to go to let the Iruka and Ran escape with a genjutsu distraction. Aya had already laid the modified sealed bomb square trap in case their restrain and barrier plan failed.

The Inuzukas had already used their beast human clone technique and if they managed to turn into that two headed dog that Naruto described to him there was no safe alternative plan if they wanted to restrain even one of them. Instead of worrying about his speculation he focused his chakra and his trust in this bond he only had a vague idea he had with his charges. In a split second he formed his seals and replaced the both of them with clones in between Akiyo's 5 second illusion diversion.

Those few seconds were enough to get them deep enough into the clearing.

"SANDTRAP!" Tanuki roared from his hiding place in the trees and instantly the four figures were knees deep in quick sand. Izo quickly growled from the other side of the clearing, freezing the water in the sand to keep the four in place. Quickly Iruka formed a few hand seals and immediately lines to text appeared beneath the Inuzukas "Dog cage sealing technique!" five layers of four corner sealing barriers appeared over lapping each other and turning lazily like a clock simultaneously.

Iruka and four of the pups were managing the barrier as slowly Izo and Tanuki released their own jutsu. For a minute or two the four were in the barrier were motionless until Ran faltered from the injury in his side and almost immediately Tsume broke free and was going straight for the grey pup struggling to keep on his feet.

The Chunnin's eyes widened realizing his was stranded where he was "DONT KILL HIM!" For a second everything stood still. Izo from his distance had several ice senbons already inches away from her throat. Nao had struck as well, fang buried deep into the woman's arm, only the blind eye open to reveal a familiar red and black spinning madly in the way that Kakashi's sharingan and a few strings of lighting idly twitching here and there around his fur.

"I got her." Tsume said, Ran unconscious on the ground. Her hand made it way to the pack at her hip to bring out a kunai and bring it close to her throat. "I caught her! Its only fair it should be my kill." Her face twisted into a demented grin and Izo backed off at the words understanding and joined the barrier formation instead.

Kiba stared in horror as the person who was supposed to be his mom looked at him with a deranged expression, ignoring Nao still clamped tight into her arm. "I protect my pack." She said pleased with herself and drew back her free arm preparing for the final strike.

"ENOUGH!" Iruka heard himself say together with an echo and he looked around. His voice stopped Ran just in time.

Tsunade stood there in the clearing with Pakkun at her side. "Enough. You pass."

**A/N: so much happened xD does anyone want a character profile for the pups since I think I've brought all their descriptions and talents out already? **


	9. Chapter 8: Acceptance

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N: here ends the first part of the plot the next part I'm promising a lot more action and Kakashi!**

**Chapter 8: Acceptance**

The tension in the room was thick as Tsunade briefed him on the situation as the Inuzukas who he was just an hour or two ago fighting for his life against we casually in a corner, Kaimu helping Shizune treat the wound on Tsume's arm. As she went on about the situation Iruka took it calmly, he knew things with Kakashi's mission were bad but he didn't expect the man to be near beyond help. The pups were in the room as well twitching their tails anxiously, they wanted the copy nin back safe just as much as he did.

"So why me... us, Hokage-sama?" he asked when she finished and started moving papers around again.

"No one can else can find the brat in the that mess Iruka-sensei." She sighed realizing that the chunnin was already the obvious fact that he was qualified for this mission and in the little world of his he believed there was a whole other fleet of jounin and ANBU willing to take on the job. "The beast for now, well we need the intel from Kakashi." With too little information killing that monster seemed so distant right now.

He was still barely swallowing the fact that Tsunade sent Tsume and Kiba against him after his throat just to test if the pups were in fact capable of organized combat.

"Iruka-sensei, you wont fail ok?" Her tone softened remembering that last mission the man had before he became a preschool teacher. "You're stronger now."

The chunin looked at her and remembered that incident, if it wasn't for Kakashi covering up for his mistake they would have been captured by the enemy and worse.

"Your mission, retrieve Kakashi Hatake. Do you accept?"

He kneeled on one knee in front of her. "On my honor, yes Hokage-sama." He had a favour to return.

"You forgot something Iruka-sensei." Tsume said for the first time since they arrived in the office, Shizune well pleased with her handiwork on the arm. She threw a canvas wrapped package in his direction. He unwrapped it carefully to reveal seven brand new leaf hitai-ates.

**END PART I **

**Catch Up Summary so far: **

_Iruka on his way home from a mission finds a dying merle colored dog carrying a canvas bag in her mouth and heading in the direction of Konoha. He investigates and the dog directs him to the bag and she dies when he accepts. Unknowingly Iruka had found a bag full of a few day old puppies and he takes them to the Hokage and explains the circumstance on how he found them. No one not even the Inuzuka's suspect they are ninken and they are put in Iruka's care. Later on Kakashi is on vacation after a successful sabotage mission and is asked by Tsunade to help Iruka take care of the puppies. They end up living together in Iruka's apartment until Kakashi gets called away on a mission with a lead to where Orochimaru's latest hideout is in connection to the last mission he was on. _

_ The mission takes a turn for the worst however when he discoves Orochimaru's experiments with ninbeasts that can absorb and adapt the characteristics of Chakra they are exposed long enough to when they're young. Kakashi gives Pakkun the scroll containing the intel as a last resort as he is hunted by a huge monster that became the product of the experiments and that is the last heard of him. _

_ Meanwhile the pups are growing larger and faster than normal, Iruka now raising them alone takes them with him even to school. Roughly a month after Kakashi left for his mission Iruka goes out into the woods to train, leaving the pups at home but something goes horribly wrong as someone or something kills one of the clones he's training with. He hides and later on the threat approaches him and its a side of his pups that he's never seen, fangs bared and bloodied. He connects this with the lessons the pups have been sitting through in class and Aya brings him the hitai-ate of a sound nin. Later on he hears about the incident via mission room gossip how a group of rogue sound nin were killed so near the village. _

_ Another month passes with still now word from Kakashi when Iruka and the pups have become settled on the Hatake estate with the other ninken. Pakkun secretly train the pups when Iruka is away and one day on the way home from the academy he and the pups are attacked by Kiba and Tsume. _

_ Later it is discovered that it was the Hokage's plan to test how well Iruka and the pups worked together to best gauge if they were qualified for a particular mission. Part one ends with Iruka accepting the mission to retrieve Kakashi and the pups receiving their own hitai-ates symbolizing that the leaf is now the village they protect._

**Of Dogs and Men Character Profile (for Part 1) **

Aya (F) – corgi/fox mix with a fox like tail, mainly white all over with a yellow and black saddle with brown eyes. She's the strategy specialist of the group and acts like the oldest of the litter and the others respect her as such. She works closest with Iruka and is the smallest of the litter though she measures around 47 inches from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail. Presently any more abilities other than the common ones she shares with her siblings are still unknown.

Akiyo (M) – A little larger than Aya he's a spitz mix tan colored with white speckled patterns similar to a savannah cat or Bengal. His eyes are a light green almost like a cat's and oddly enough he acts like one more than Aya who is prone to her own comparably feline traits, not only in appearance.

Ran (M) – is a blue pitbull mix with white markings, still in the growing awkward stage he still hasn't put on much muscle and is one of the main physical attackers of the group with the spirit for it. He seems to have the Yamanaka bloodline limit of mind control jutsu (as seen in the battle against Tsume).

Izo (M) – Is a Doberman mix with the Yuri clan bloodline limit, Ice Release (as used by Haku). He has a scar on his shoulder from Iruka after mistakenly being attacked. His jutsu is needed to put together Tanuki's Sandtrap technique (because it needs water).

Kaimu (M) – the biggest of the group, a Tibetan Mastiff mix black with light brown paws and a few white markings. He began as the runt of the group and the most sickly causing Kakashi lots of sleepless nights and trips to Tsunade's office eventually he grew and took on Tsunade's chakra characteristics. He's the healer and tank of the group as well.

Nao (M) – A white Malamute Inu mix with a few grey markings and bears the closest resemblance to Kakashi and holds that chakra the most. In the beginning his right eye was a murky and blind and kept it closed out of habit, during the battle against Inuzuka that eye awakened as his Sharingan. There is also reason to believe he is capable of something similar to a chidori since there were a few strings of lightning present in his fur though it was in a pure moment or rage when he was defending his brother.

Tanuki (M)- Is an earthbrown colored dog with black and white markings and more noticeable around his face, body and tail giving him a racoon like appearance. Shortly before they moved to the Hatake estate he seemingly stopped sleeping and has shown some semblance of controlling sand. There is reason to believe he could be one of the first pups to show evidence of being assimilated with tailed beast chakra though there is potential for others to still have dormant chakra characteristics tailed beast or not.

*all pups are capable to some degree all the techniques Iruka is capable of because they share his chakra the most though some of them also have traces of Kakashi's chakra and abilities because of being exposed to him for a long time when they were still so young.

**Preview for Part 2 (in chunks)**

_"WHY DID MOM LEAVE ME THEN? WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?" The beast roared, his six eyes spinning madly as he struggled against the bonds, loose threads of sharp chakra randomly lashing at the walls._

_..._

_ "Fuck Kakashi if you barely held on to life for the past four months only to die on me now that I'm here I wont forgive you!"_

_..._

_ And his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the man laboriously heave his chest as if the mere act of breathing as an inhuman act of will. _

**A/N: don't worry I wont kill anyone (I hope lol) but I'm already planning a sequel :D any votes for that? Sorry the chapter was so short cause I had to slip in the catch up and the character profile BUT I bet the preview got you yes? Remember reviews help feed little fuzzy puppies like to wiggle their little legs and waddle when they walk xD **


	10. Chapter 9: The Lion's Den

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N: I know this is my second post today but I couldn't help it x3**

**Chapter 9: The Lion's Den**

Iruka finished tying a hitai-ate on the last of the pups and Nao was wiggling his over his 'funny' eye as he called it making him look more like Kakashi now than before. The journey would take around a week from what Aya estimated after sniffing the scroll Kakashi sent long before, tracing the charkra and using Pakkun to trace the direction.

They decided to pack light, medical supplies and a few rations and a few things for Kakashi, they would hunt on their way and Pakkun and the others would follow after as back up. Seven large dogs and a ninja were conspicuous enough without adding the jounin's pack.

Izo found a cave a days journey and a little of course from their destination and Iruka decided this would make the best hideout when they would most likely bring Kakashi out in a critical condition. The group stopped there for the night, eight dogs and a chunnin huddled up in the cave where he was eating some meat the dogs had caught earlier and some rations. He could feel the unrest in the small space as he ran a hand through Nao's fur for comfort. No one felt like talking. Instead a few of the pups started preparing a safety and genjutsu barrier they would be able to run to on their way back.

"Is he still holding on Pakkun?" he said quietly as he prepared to sleep.

"Boss is stubborn like that." Pakkun said simply looking out the mouth of the cave, the first shift was his.

Iruka closed his eyes and listened, he was using Kaimu as a pillow and Akiyo and Aya were sprawled around him as well keeping him warm. It wasn't quite snowing yet but the cold winds told him they were coming soon, was Kakashi at least warm where he was?

Kakashi blinked his eyes slowly as he sunlight flowed in for that one hour every day, carefully he heaved himself to sit in the corner in it, enjoying at least the small comfort it gave him. He could hear the beast, Shinjiru it had constantly muttered between breaths when it was asleep. The cell was rectangular shaped and rose at least ten feet upwards, the light coming from a small exhaust fan at the top. He was in one of the countless cells in the walls of the inner complex where the beast slept. He had glimpsed other ninja in the cells as well briefly with his sharingan, seeing the stings of chakra stream from there into the beast's form.

He lived through worst conditions, the first thing he did when he was shoved into the cell was look for water hence the rusted pipe he spent three days breaking a hole into. He caught rats with the broken kunai he managed to keep and he managed at least with that and the stale pieces of bread his captors would drop every other day. But his resolve was breaking a little with each week, each day that passed as he marked every time he saw sunlight into the wall. The darkness at times was enough to send him into a restrained frenzy as the screams would start again of men and beast being cut open and men slowly dying in their cells as the last bits of chakra were drained from them. The light was leaving again and he prepared himself, tying a cloth over his eyes so at least he could believe that his eyes were closed and not the paranoia he's had into the first month.

The beast would sometimes talk to him, nonsense mostly and saying that he smelled like something familiar "Something so familiar I hate it." It would conclude and bring its lips up in a frenzied smile as all its eyes would spin madly on their own in different directions, the parts of its body covered in scales and not would glisten slightly and it would turn it back towards the jounin in contempt.

The lines on the walls looked like so many days as the man brought his knees to his chest and held them tight _think of something nice _he though to himself _Iruka's cooking, taking the pups to the playground in the early morning before the children would get there _he almost smiled _sleeping in warm bed _and then he could almost remember how the man's skin felt against his scared fingers. Iruka was the first person in how many years did he let himself get physically and mentally accustomed to, the man's small habits, how he made his coffee, which side of the bed he liked to sleep in and which side of him did he like walking beside when he walked him home, how he treated the pups like kids and insisted on using his teacher voice to teach them a lesson if they were bad.

_When you're near death you only think about what's important. _He remembered that from somewhere but couldn't really place it and here he was thinking about the chunin and the pups back home. His own ninken were rescue dogs, he leaned into the memory like a child as a cold draft blew in. Pakkun he found seemed to be abandoned in the woods but that little thing despite having just opened its eyes recently and was learning to walk properly insisted on following him even as he hopped through the trees, that small thing was loud mouthed from the beginning, barking as he kept up with him on the ground. He took Pakkun in with the little one's paws cut and bleeding and bandaged it up. He managed to find out the pug's owner, a farmer at the outskirts of town. The man was a crude business man and said the pug was a liability because of his color amongst other breed faults so he dumped him out in the woods. Kakashi gave him a piece of his mind and punched the man in the face. It was his surprise when the pug just started talking out of the blue a few months later.

Usushi was almost the same, treated cruelly since he was a pup because of his looks and grey up a dog terrorizing a village along with Uhei, Shiba and Akino. Bull and Guruko were the survivors of a village that raised ninken before they were annihilated in the skirmishes of the smaller villages, Bisuke on the other hand was the youngest he was given by a friend who found him in a box in an alley.

He willed himself to sleep, almost kicking himself for being such a child but not admitting that _may _be afraid of the dark.

Iruka signalled the pups at the back to go into position as Nao and Akiyo analyzed the area for traps and genjutsu, as he suspected in reality that place was actually an old prison used during the war modified and rebuilt with powerful genjutsu that changed like it had a mind of its own. The source was probably this monster he was hearing so much about. He considered the options and what he had to work with at the moment.

"We'll be the bait Pakkun, you guys retrieve Kakashi-sensei." Iruka whispered "We'll manage to trap the beast with our Dog Cage Sealing Technique and the new genjustsu we've been working on."

Pakkun would have protested but shut his mouth when he saw the chunnin's face it said _I don't need to be coddled anymore and I'm tired of using being a chunnin as an excuse. _

"We've got to save dad ok?" Akiyo muttered to Bisuke, his fear bristling and he almost couldn't calm himself, at best he talked himself out an into things. Even with having Iruka's kind of control, they were still pups and bound to get carried away.

The place no longer seemed guarded as noted by the reports any physical guards slowly dwindled over time as if the place was slowly being abandoned.

"We'll enter through the front door, there is an entrance somewhere on the side, a window." Aya said pricking up her ears and scanning the area over again. The trees themselves felt ominous, hanging low and in the dying light of the day it made the small clearing ever darker. Limbs and roots wound around the structure in an almost suffocating manner. She pawed the ground testingly and sniffed the air again "The structure itself goes down but there are some openings you could use to escape. I can smell the fumes of deep earth." She crinkled her nose in distaste.

"We enter in a few minutes get ready." The chunin said looking over his team and getting a gulp of water to wet his parched throat. "Let's save Kakashi."

**A/N: *phew* ok build up to drama time get ready for a lot of things happening in the next chapters, save kakashi time! More mysteries about the pups revealed to. Gawd there is so much tension I just want to get them together already x3**


	11. Chapter 10: Repentance

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N: super long chapter :D**

**Chapter 10: Repentance**

The air in the underground labs was hot and thick from the fumes coming out of the pipes connecting various glass display tubes together, some were broken and the curious green liquid had spilled all over the floor. Their contents were questionable and Iruka could maybe make out what was supposed to be an eye or limbs, when some started to twitch however it made his skin crawl.

The hallways were dimly lit and covered in grime, it smelled like mold and disinfectant and so far there wasn't any guards defending the place once you got past the genjutsu. Only Akiyo and Ran was with him as he walked through the complex, the others found different routes to get to the center of the building where the most chakra was concentrated.

"Aside from Dad's chakra there are other ones being drained." Akiyo's ears pricked up alert and tense. "The monster is big, but I think he may be one of us Pa." He muttered quietly. "It seems to be waiting."

Iruka focused on his breathing and the bond he had with the pups, he could feel them moving around the area. The group descended another level via stairs and the next floor was filled with cells packed with dead animals from dogs to wolves to lions, some had mismatched part of different beasts stitched to them. There were lines of rooms with operating tables as well, blood stained and another wolf carcass cut open, left with scalpels and tubes still sticking out, the last of the people here made seemed to have abandoned this place in a hurry.

He felt a spike in the chakra bond when they descended another two flights of stairs. He knew tags had been set as a precaution, ready to blow the whole place down to its foundations if ever something would get out of hand and there wouldn't be any other choice.

"We're close." Akiyo growled, white and black fur bristling and lips pulled back and ran down the hall, taking a left into another exit as Iruka and Ran followed suit. There in the center of a wide arena was what he read from the reports, a large wolfdog with crimson fur standing around fifteen feet tall. Its lips were parted back in a grin as drool dripped from its chops, three sets of eyes looking in several directions at once. There were part of its bodies covered in what seemed to snake scales, somewhere beneath the chest and its hindquarters and coating the underside of its tail. There was a Byakugen, a Sharingan and normal eyes that slowly focused on him. That one second was enough as Iruka and Akiyo and Aya managed their genjutsu, leading the beast unknowingly into their trap on the floor.

"Sandtrap!" Tanuki activated the jutsu from the third level cell above them. Iruka felt the other running through the other levels lined with cells Pakkun and the other hidden somewhere nearby waiting for one of them to give the signal to where Kakashi was.

The beast's wide paws were sinking into the muck of the dirt floor, as Iruka activated the sealing jutsu and even the movement of the beast's tail stopped. It's face never changed however, still watching, waiting for something to happen. It moved his head experimentally and the jutsu seemed to only slow down its movements rather than restrict it. Iruka audibly cursed but this was enough, there were only four of them holding the barrier right now the other pups are still trying to secura Kakashi.

The chunin however was in for the surprise of his life when the beast opened its mouth to speak. "Sissssster." There was the sound of an echo to his voice as if two people were speaking as it turned its attention to Aya on its far right side.

Nao's speeding by cell after cell was becoming desperate. The chakra in this place kept whirling then gather in the center that focusing on finding on was becoming difficult with all of it being in constant flux. The other very downstairs already in position to seal the beast to buy some time but the Byukugan was unexpected, there was no element of surprise. He was a little worried about his pack's connection as Iruka's chakra flared slightly as a voice resounded through the whole building. By chance he stopped hear a small grunt from a cell in the corner, overlooking the scene below around the height of the back of the beast's head.

Nao clamped his jaws into the bars of the cell, fur bristling and strings of lighting sparked from its form to light the dark corner. Kakashi was curled up in the farthest corner, emaciated to the point that his formerly face hugging mask looked loose on his face. His limbs were thinner, the shine from his hair gone, his breath shallow as Nao gave the signal and almost immediately the ninken were by their master's side. He look upwards at the same time as Pakkun, there was a way out of this hole.

"He knows were here." Nao said loudly. "He knows what happening. He seems more interested in Pa than Dad, take him out to the hideout ok? If we're not back by sunrise..." he flattened his ears against his head, his muscles tensing "Its those eyes of his." Pakkun looked him understanding as Kakashi was secured to Bull's back as they prepared to scale the wall towards the smell of the outside.

He knew the seal wouldn't be enough to hold that creature back as he felt the beast's chakra seeping into every crevice of this place like a fog. The white pup debated with himself and opened his sharingan eye, he was planning something reckless.

Aya stared at the creature, not knowing why it called her sister and tipped his head in greeting. She could feel the chill of its chakra floating like mist in the room, harbouring a cold hate and desire for blood.

"What don't remember me?" its face was pulled up wider in its wolfish grin, bearing all its teeth. He looked from Aya to all the other pups surrounding him in the room. "Me the oldest that you and everyone else and mother left to rot in this place." It growled and threw its head back, back paw scratching at his head but the beast didn't seem to notice the action despite how slow it was.

"how-" She raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"HAH. I don't expect you to remember." He said with contempt, claws scratching free from the solidified ground around his forearms. "We were so small and weak back then, but I heard their voices. Remember? The last thing she said before they took me away and do THIS to me the snake man and the one with the knives. Jibun wo shinjiru. ." Its chakra spiked again as it tossed its head trying to free itself from the bonds of the seal.

Iruka was in a battle of wills now, still unsure if Pakkun was able to retrieve Kakashi because one of the pups were still missing. The beast still hadn't revealed any of its powers yet and the seal was taking its toll on the chunnin who started munching on a few soldier pills.

The beasts eyes widened as it focused on Iruka. "You." It growled deep in its throat. "You gave them your chakra, it tastes nice." It raised its paws as if to approach but the seal was already settling in stronger. Its expression looked almost dazed and wistful but it quickly turned and it bared its fangs. It tossed its head her and there looking at his 'siblings' "You have that man's chakra too. The white haired one. WHY." The beast's chakra flared again, muscles tense and fur bristling. Suddenly he began to claw at his own face, at the extra two pair of eyes, irritated and it let out a growl. The growl turned into a pained howl when it tossed it head's back and it began to shake uncontrollably clawing the ground again. "whywhywhywhywhywhywhyw-shinjirushinkirushinjiRU." It muttered and growled under it breath, drool splattering on the ground.

"What happened our mother?" Kaimu said quietly, the subject had always been sugarcoated by Iruka when they asked and the only thing they knew was is that she died trying to get them to the safety of Konoha when the chunin found her and she gave them to her before she passed away.

"You don't know?" the beast focused all his attention on his 'brother'. "When they took me away for surgery, I woke up and my family was gone! She gnawed her own leg off from the chains and took you away—" again the beast was loosing its calm again and was breathing through his mouth, the air in the room was growing cold from the relative warm it was earlier. Iruka realized it was Nao doing, hoping that condensation would create enough water for Izo.

There was another surge of chakra as the beast bucked and struggled, sparks of blue lines of chakra coming from its fur. The chunnin heard the sound of chirping bird as Nao dove in to strike from one of the upper levels trying for the monster's blindspot.

"Chidori fang!" the white pup aimed for the beast's jugular before it had the chance to turn it's head. There was a spurt of blood and Nao, Aya and Iruka were splattered by the spray but the creature didn't seem to pay much mind as there was a steady stream of blood flowing from his neck and creating a river across his chest and down to the floor.

"It was dark and they kept making me take such terrible chakra. Is that why-" The beast visibly shivered and the sparks from its fur grew more sporadic. "WHY DID MOM LEAVE ME THEN? WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?" The beast roared, his six eyes spinning madly as he struggled against the bonds, loose threads of sharp chakra randomly lashing at the walls. The pups tensed, they hardly knew anything of where they came from aside from the information the village was able to gather. They had to make their stand here if the beast lost control there was no telling what could happen to them or people in the area.

The air was humid and Iruka knew the seal wouldn't last for much longer as his chakra supply was dwindling. He could feel the pups' chakra push him gently, they wanted to fight because if this monster truly was their brother... he realized some time ago fighting for status was part of something within the pups he didn't exactly understand. Like men, fighting to the point of exhaustion was one of the best ways to come to an understanding. The beast began his mantra of 'shinjiru' again before iruka noticed that its most normal looking eyes turned to like that of a snake, the pupil becoming a straight black line at the center and the saliva that hit the ground began to sizzle.

"Lets try the seal again later Pa." Aya told him, slowly releasing her hold on the jutsu. "We'll weaken him enough for that. Hopefully we can trap him here and blow the place up."

He noticed she was purposely ignoring what the creature was saying, brother or not he was a threat. She looked at the beast intently with that look he saw the day the sound nin died.

_She was a long way home from the woods of her pack. She only remembered blood and the yelps of her pack mates as she was instructed by the alpha, her mate Navaho to keep hidden. There was the sound of trees falling, the ground being unearthed and the dying howl of her mate's hunting call. She hid her presence, curled up in a ball in the very corner of her den that she's used every year to raise pups, but even that didn't save her from the cold hands and the pain that followed before she mercifully sank into sleep. _

_ Here she was in this dark caged place, as men in white took her pack mates from their cages one by one and she watched as they yelped, barked and attempted to bite their captors with all the spirit they could muster, despite the leak of food and water. Navaho was there in the cell across hers, sitting and looking at her, his forepaw cut and bleeding amongst other wounds as well as the gash over his right eye. She could smell the infection from where she was and whined softly wanting to be at his side. _

_ 'Ixkin, love, be calm. Be strong.' He told her in a way she could understand. 'I regret I cannot fight for you for much longer, take care of our pups. The gods of the mountain will be calling me soon.' _

_ She hung her head and her ears dropped, there was so little time left she didn't trust herself to speak._

_ 'Their spirit is dark, my bright sun. Don't let them break you.' He said gently. 'I am with you. Our pups are with you. Take them somewhere safe.'_

_..._

_ She birthed eight pups a month after Navaho was taken away by the snake man, she felt violated from what those men were putting into her body all these tubes and part of other beasts, dark spirit in vials. She gathered enough strength after a week and eyed her back leg chained to the wall testingly, the moon was high in the sky and she could feel it, trusting it was her mate guiding her now. _

_ "Shinjiru, son of my moon." she whispered into the ear of one of her pups as she prepared her escape. However the cell door was open and the man that smelled like snake and death entered and took the pup that looked the most like Navaho away from her. She lunged at him only to be stopped by her bonds and she felt a sharp pain in her side as a foot kicked her three times for good measure. She rested on the floor, breathing heavily, the rest of her pups protectively behind her. The snake man merely laughed at her attempt and left with the pup who was had just begun to open his eyes. _

_ She collected the young ones in a canvas bag she was given when she was giving birth and lay the sleeping bundles inside them, she eyed her leg again and slowly she opened her jaws and clamped tight around it. She was running out of time and her strength was leaving her she doubted she would be able to wait another night. "Believe in yourself young one," she prayed under her breath as she ran through the woods on her three good legs. "You're your father's son."_

The beast had sunk to the ground, breathing heavily as blood poured from the wound he did not notice. The ice senbons probably pierced through some of his more vital organs. With the cells' captives already out of chakra he no longer had a supply coming in and his own reserves were close to gone that the Byakugan and Sharingan eyes merely stopped moving and closed of their own accord. There was so much hate in that chakra in the room and now it was gone he could swear he was thinking clearer. The seal seemed to be holding the beast as planned now, all free movement gone.

The beast on the other hand was still looking at Iruka as if he was trying to be angry but I the end gave up his glare and merely heaved for breath. "Its...not... fair." It wheezed, sounding like there was fluid caught in his throat.

His pack in the room were exhausted were hanging in there barely with soldier pills.

"Was the snake man right when he said mother didn't love me because I looked like my father?" its eyes were no longer focused but w as looking in Iruka's direction. "That I was HIS beast now, the spirit I have is something that wants to kill so I should listen to it? That there's an even bigger monster inside me because I have the snake man's spirit?" the beast was beginning to sound like a child.

The chunnin managed to pick up that spirit could be loosely translated as chakra. He started to remember Anko and Sasuke, himself and Naruto realized you only lose when you give up yourself.

Iruka dropped his hands holding the jutsu and Aya looked at him. His face was hard to read but somehow she understood what he was trying to do. He approached the beast whose head itself was already the size of the man who laid a small hand on his muzzle and looked into his wet eyes. "Jibun wo shinjiru means to believe in yourself and Shinjiru mean to believe. I think your mother gave you a beautiful name." He said softly, watching the change of expression on the beast- no Shinjiru's face. Iruka used a signal for the others to reluctantly bring down the seal and at least a little the wolfdog managed to breath a little easier. Gently Iruka pushed his chakra into the Shinjiru until he could barely stand and Kaimu help support him with his head.

"Leave me." Shinkiru said softly, rolling a little to his side and lay his head on the floor panting. "New sun of my brothers, leave me and let me repent and mourn for my father... and mother."

Kaimu tugged a little at him until he was secured on his back before jumping away to one of the exits they found on the way inside. He managed to catch a glimpse of the other looking back, Aya looking particularly small as she looked her 'brother' in the eye before catching up with her pack.

Iruka recovered enough on the trip back to run in and check if Kakashi was alright. The ninken were gather around the man who now looked so small.

"Fuck Kakashi if you barely held on to life for the past four months only to die on me now that I'm here I wont forgive you!" he whispered harshly sinking to his knees by the man's side.

And his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the man laboriously heave his chest as if the mere act of breathing as an inhuman act of will.

**A/N: this is the longest chapter I've written cause I wont be updating for a bit xD I'll be busy this week oh and yes I'll be planning a sequel for this mwahah preview at the end of this fic. Feel free to ask questions btw I'm not sure how coherent this chapter is with so much happening.**

*jibun wo shinjiru means to believe in yourself and shinjiru mean to believe : )

*In the wolf pack before Sun and Moon refer to the mated pair of the pack and Ixkin means she of the sun


	12. Chapter 11: Recovering

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**A/N: woohooo awkward moment!**

**Chapter 11: Recovering**

Iruka contained himself from shifting uncontrollably as he stood in the Hokage's office for debriefing. At the speed they took to get home as early as possible they got back to Konoha in half the time and Kakashi was still unconscious in intensive care. The seven pups were in the room as well, sitting on their haunches and trying to look behaved, they lost a lot of what he could say was their puppy fat. Their fur was tangled and dirty, a few blood stains here and there, leaves and twigs sticking out from places, in other words they looked like shit and he couldn't really say any better for himself. He just finished an intensive report on the 'beast' complete with an elaborate illustration and specifications of the abilities he witnessed on their mission.

"As far as we could tell Hokage-sama the place was abandoned, Pakkun informed me at the most it could have been a week since it last saw contact from the outside world or humans at least." Iruka said mechanically. "More of the valuable items like the cadavers of ninja with bloodline limits were also gone as well as the more intensive documents of the research."

"Well done Iruka-sensei." She praised looking over the other pages of the report. "What happened to the beast then?"

"We left him mortally wounded in our escape and he didn't give chase." He said dryly recalling their leave of the pup that was left behind. She nodded approvingly.

"I will be sending a team there soon to gather intel. If Orochimaru has technology like this it wouldn't surprise me if he has something worse up his sleeve." She commented noting thar what Kakashi had seen before seemed to have changed dramatically with the chunin's report as a comparison. "Especially with monster like this." Her face twisted into an expression of disgust, he remembered he used to have that same expression for Naruto.

He knew what she was talking about and he could feel his temper again but he forced the thought out of his mind as the pups' chakra were poking at him worriedly. He consoled himself that she didn't know, for now it would be best to believe that hopefully now Shinjiru would be better off. The pup was alive at the least he could tell, and moving far far away.

"Oh and Iruka sensei I forgot to mention." She looked at the pups warmly. "I'm happy to welcome you as new members of the village, wear you hitai-ate's proudly."

The pups barked their approval and wagged their tails, the more playful of them coming up to her to be petted. "Be careful to keep you chakra adaptation skills a secret though, Kiba, Tsume, Shizune, myself and you are the only ones to know. If the elders find out they're bound to want to take advantage you as a new weapon. Talking is fine and other basic ninken skills, you can still take them to class for lessons and such with your students... what I'm saying is be careful."

Iruka watched her pick a few leaves out of Kaimu's fur "But you on the other hand can come visit me for lessons, wont want those medical skills going to waste. And another thing, would you want to take on the mission of taking care of the brat?" she asked with an expression he couldn't quite place.

He stared at her for a few stunned moments before hastily bowing "Of course, it would be my pleasure."

Iruka read the note from Shizune again, a medical report vaguely outlined and what he needs to do for the jounin's care. From those few months of being trapped and the continuous chakra drain cause a severe case of muscle atrophy and the man might need physical therapy depending on how he feels when he wakes up. He wouldn't be able to grip things properly, walking itself was in question but movement wasn't totally lost, from the harsh demands and condition he was exposed to he lost a lot of muscle mass and control. The chunin looked up from the note, the pups were gathered around Kakashi sleeping on the futon and he felt them carefully channelling their chakra as their bond accommodated another being. Tsunade seemed to agree with this method, taking an interest in how the pack was able to 'share' chakra in a continuously flowing bond. Kakashi's ninken were out hunting and when Iruka went to sit next to Kakashi the pups scattered and excused themselves from the room eventually.

"Hey." Iruka said quietly, touching the sleeping man's hair tentatively. The only light coming from a crack in the door and there was the sound of claws clicking against the wooden floors as the pups were shuffling around. "Hurry up and wake up ok? The pups and Pakkun and the others are worried about you. Shizune-chan and Tsunade-sama said I should fatten you up and take you out into the sun more..." he began drawling on and on until he heard a small grunt followed by a groan.

Kakashi blinked slowly, letting his good eye wander to judge where he was until it rested on Iruka's face hovering him. He groaned again and Iruka reached for the water he kept on the table next to all the medication.

"You're safe at home Kakashi-sensei." He said quietly, helping the man sit up and took care not to bump the IV drip. He looked away when the man pulled the mask from his face and helped his hand lead the glass to his lips. Iruka put the glass away when the jounin was done and sat next to him on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked just as quietly not really expecting an answer. The copy nin just curled up and scooted closer to him near his knee, resting a hand on his thigh. "Iruka, please don't tell me I'm dreaming." The man rasped, his grip tightening slightly on the fabric of the chunnins' sweatpants, his thin from was quivering from all the exertion.

"You're not dreaming." Tentatively he placed a hand on the man's head and the quivering calmed.

"The mutt used me for genjutsu practice." He said dryly, his voice seemed to be coming back. "Sharingan and Byakugan combination shouldn't be possible."

Iruka shook his head. "Hush now enough of that, aren't you hungry?" he used his teacher tone.

"I've been thinking about your cooking to keep me sane." Kakashi said tiredly and rolled over to get deeper into the sheets. "Sleepy."

"I'll make something for you for later then." He ignored that comment, unsure if he was going to take that statement seriously.

It's been a week since Kakashi arrived home and started putting on weight. It been eat and sleep as Iruka would sometimes watched man's sleeping form, thin and no longer built as he had observed before. The body turned to eating itself to survive and if Kakashi wasn't as fit as he was he wouldn't have held on to life for as long as he did.

A thud jolted Iruka out of his dream, instinctively he reached for a kunai he kept near by and stiffened. The pups were out with Pakkun and the others for the night and he and a recovering Kakashi were alone in the house. The chunin stood up and cautiously made his way to the next room to see the white haired man sitting on the floor catching his breath, it seemed he was making his way to the bathroom. _Who do you hold on for Kakashi or are you just so stubborn to just let yourself die. _He remembered the rumors from a few years before, that Kakashi was stuck in extensive care for a week because of an incident that happened on the way home from a mission, they say it was self inflicted.

_He remembered that time really well, the time before Kakashi left for that mission. He went to a party hosted by the mission room, everyone drinking like there was no tomorrow. He wasn't one for crowds and took and armful beer cans with him before heading up to the roof. _

_ When he saw the familiar mess of white hair Iruka almost doubled back thinking he was getting so intoxicated he was seeing things. The chuning shrugged at the thought of going back to the room which was starting to become 'touchy' and he would rather not wake up with a hangover in someone else's bed like what happened last time._

_ Kakashi merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow, it seems the jounin had the same idea and was munching on a tray of chicken of wings and nursing a can of beer. He motioned for Iruka to sit next to him and the chunin complied, not really thinking. Iruka didn't even notice the man's mask was lowered._

_ "I don't see you at these parties often Kakashi-sensie" he slurred finished off his nth beer, he stopped counting at 15. _

_ "Hokage-sama said it would be good for me." He shrugged._

_ Everything that happened after that Iruka couldn't really recall aside the few glimpses of white flesh grinding into him, sloppy and just as slurred as he was talking then and the words he heard in Kakashi's voice brimming with need "I don't kiss" when he tried to bring the man's face close to his._

_ He woke up the next morning in Kakashi's bed with the note on the bedside "Thanks for last night, I'm leaving for a mission lock the door on your way out." The note wasn't signed. That was a few years ago._

Wordlessy Iruka snaked an arm around the man's waist and helped him go the short distance to the bathroom and watched as the door filled with a sterile looking light closed. He tugged at his loose brown hair in frustration at a memory that was making a beeline south and making his boxers tighter than he would like.

Iruka didn't comment at the sound of Kakashi's chopsticks falling onto the plate for the fifth time. The copy nin couldn't grip properly enough that whenever he tried using the chopsticks his hand would shake with the effort and just drop it. The man stopped for a moment and glared daggers at the plate and the traitorous chopsticks, ignoring the spoon and fork that Iruka purposely had put on the tray as well. He made an excuse to check on the pups to let the man eat at his own pace.

"Hows the boss?" Pakkun asked over his bowl of Donburi, the pug was looking a little fatter now with the extra meals the chunin has been preparing over the last few days.

"He attempted the chopsticks today," He looked through the freezer "Didn't go so well." He grinned when he found what he was looking for, Ben and Jerrys a pint of mint chocolate brownie and a pint of strawberry cheesecake. Iruka took some spoons out of the drawer and left Pakkun to his other helping of liver cookies he prepared as puppy treats for tomorrow.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he poked his head in, juggling spoons and the pints of ice cream that were making his hands numb.

The man was sitting in front of the opening sliding doors, he was staring into the night with the little fireflies flying about, tray by his futon forgotten.

Iruka sat beside him and handed him the mint chocolate brownie as he started on the strawberry cheesecake. Kakashi wasn't wearing his mask at some point he just started to forget to pull it up and the last time the chunin asked the copy nin dismissed it by saying he should at least be comfortable in his own house. They ate in silence and at the corner of his eye Iruka watched the man lick his spoon in a certain way, they were sitting so close to each other.

"How'd you know this is my favorite flavor Iruka-sensei?" the jounin grinned cheekily looking at him. "Stalking me now are we?"

The chunin grinned back even though the other still looked worn at least his humor was coming back. "Heh shame on you for not noticing, _jounin-san_. " He chuckled stuffing another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. "What you gonna do about it?"

Without missing a beat Kakashi piped "This." And closed the space between them, their lips meeting. Both Kakashi and Iruka's eyes widened at the realization of what just happened.

_Shit._

**A/N: review if you likey this chapter! :D it took a while so I hope it was worth it.**


	13. Chapter 12: Plotting

**Of Dogs and Men**

**Author:** remthedogsitter

**Rating:** R (to be safe)

**Summary:** (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**Chapter 12: Plotting**

For all the awkwardness that moment was worth the two were saved by the playful bark of the pups returning home. Ran was busy covering Kakashi's face in slobber as Iruka was trying to get Kaimu who was almost twice his size now and didn't seem to get the difference between him and a dog of the Chihuahua size.

Kakashi smiled at the affection as the other pups went about poking him with their wet noses. The man let himself fall be and be snuggled attacked until the pups finally settled down and he yawned. Pakkun audibly snorted as the other ninken joined in as well.

"Come on guys stop." Iruka said half heartedly laughing and finally getting Kaimu off him. "Stop harassing the invalid."

After a few more licks the dogs stopped and stretched. They were filthy from their romp in the woods but more or less not muddy and their baths could wait until tomorrow. "Bed time kids."

Tanuki raised his eyebrow before going to Iruka for a good night pat on the head before slipping away to sit on the roof like he did every night from what the chunin discovered. The pups dispersed eventually and Iruka helped the jounin up to take him to bed. The ice cream seemed to have disappeared with the pups as well.

"Iruka I-"

"Don't." Iruka said gently tucking him in the covers. "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"

Kakashi blinked, he was tucked up until his chin and his hands poked out from the top like a sick child. "Waffles?"

"Ok then, goodnight." He said quickly, his hand touched the man's hair out of habit by accident.

The copy nin was about to say something when Iruka when dismissed it with a dark look and the word. "Sleep."

Iruka had gone through his 18th cup of coffee that day and was half ready to kill someone that no one even dared approach him for anything other than to hand in their mission report uncharacteristically neat and legible. It was one of those bad days where the world thought it would be cool drag the academy teacher through all sorts of mayhem such as his classroom almost exploding, forgetting the lunch he packed at home, slipping in the bathroom and hitting his head particularly hard amongst other things. For now all he could think about was having a quiet dinner and a long soak in the tub which he reminded himself he had to either find a bigger place to live or find another apartment and let the pups live at Kakashi's, either way he didn't have the financial capability to support all of them.

A piece of paper slowly slid its way onto the table in Iruka's field of vision and he looked up to see Kakashi, back to his normal self with the lazy slouch and orange Icha-icha in hand. The man was slowly getting back into shape and reclaiming the muscles he lost thanks to playing with the 'kids'. The mission report, something about helping out on a farm with lots of chickens was handed in with fairly readable script and he was willing to forgive the questionable stains. "You look terrible sensei."

Iruka grumbled something unintelligible and muttered a thank you for your hard work. They had been like this all week since that incident over ice cream but the jounin's change in character was so noticeable that the chunin didn't want to think the man was genuinely interested in him romantically and not just in the physical matter. One night stands were nice but he wasn't getting any younger and it has been a fact that shinobi generally don't live long.

"How about I take you to dinner?" Kakashi leaned in, his shadow hovering over the papers Iruka was trying to read.

"And the pups?" the academy teacher raised an eyebrow sceptically as he started filing away the mission reports for the day.

"They're all fed." Kakashi's eye went up in an arch sheepishly as he rubbed a hand behind his head. "I gave them a bath too."

"Ok. Fair enough but I want ramen." The man sighed in defeat seeing he couldn't pull up his normal reasons of just going straight home. "I'll see you when I'm done here."

Iruka's shoulder lightly brushed into Kakashi's as they walked home in the dark, its been happening so often that its becoming habit. For the last two weeks jounin would ask Iruka out after his shift at the mission desk and they would walk home together after. Lightly Kakashi's hand touched the chunin's, fingertips lightly tracing across his palm, until very slowly the hand slipped into his. It felt warm, the skins of the hand rough yet delicate at the same time. Iruka didn't pull away like he normally would but let the contact continue as they walked home. He didn't have the heart to say anything, afraid that if he did the smallest syllable would shatter something so delicate that they had between them. It was almost as if they were slowly picking up where they left off before Kakashi left for his mission.

"Iruka-sensei, what do you look for in a person?" the copy nin muttered as they came into view of his home.

"What's this all of a sudden?" Iruka felt heat on his cheeks but thankfully the blush was hard to make out in the moonlight.

"Because I'm obviously interested in you." The copy nin smiled in that way of his, grasping the hand in his a little tighter when Iruka tried to pull away. "You didn't answer my question."

"You don't fit the criteria." The chunin muttered hotly looking away. _You are the criteria. _

The jounin just chuckled as the pups greeted them at the door.

Kakashi saw the man to bed when they got home before retiring to his own room. The jounin opened a small lamp near his bed and began writing a small note before neatly folding it. He looked at the open window to see a bird made of ink waiting patiently for him.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TAKING ME?" Iruka flailed when Kakashi slipped the blindfold over his eye as he washed the breakfast dishes and started dragging him away.

"Vacation." The copy nin said in a sing song voice as he mounted a particularly large white bird made of ink and he slipped the chunnin's arms around his waist. "Hold on if you don't wanna fall."

Before the kidnapped man could protest the bird launched itself into the air and he held on for dear life as he clung to Kakashi's strong back earned after weeks of rehabilitation.

He could feel the wind rush into his face and around his body as the bird rode the current of the air. He let himself relax but didn't slack his grip as the bird was prone to dip and rise again depending on the circumstance. He could feel Kakashi's heart beating against his chest and concentrated on the rhythm to clam himself.

Eventually the bird landed and Iruka could hear the sound of waves.

"We're here." The copy nin said happily slipping off the blindfold.

Iruka blinked for a few moment to get used to the light but he knew this place, its been almost a decade since he's last been here and Naruto was the only other person that knew about this spot. His clan's ancestral land that he and his parents would visit yearly when they were still alive.

"Kakashi why-"

"IRUKA-SENSEEEIIIII!" Naruto now almost his height tackled him, burying his face wherever it landed in a death hold of his beloved sensei.

"Naruto what are you doing here?" Iruka broke free smiling more than he ever had in months.

"I was around the area with Jiraya-sensei when..." Naruto began rambling on and on with exaggerated hand movements as Kakashi took the opportunity to slip away. There was a makeshift camp a little way off in the shade of the trees with a large canvas tent he set up yesterday amongst other things like bedrolls and things for the barbeque tonight.

The copy nin made a few hand signs and in a puff of smoke Pakkun appeared.

"Hey boss." The now obviously fatter pug muttered, scratching behind his ears and grumbling.

"Is everything ok for tonight?"

Pakkun snorted. "You summon me for this? You practically did everything yourself."

"Mah, doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"You're idiotically happy and giddy for some reason I can feel it." the pug raised an eyebrow at him. "You're really going to ask him to be your mate?"

"No I just want to make things official isn't it obvious?" He gave a loopy smile. "I'm getting tired of guessing are we together or not since we keep doing couple stuff together."

"Just don't scare him away with your fantasies." The pug grumbled. "If you mess this up I'm never gonna have Iruka-sensei's cooking every agaaain and I'll never forgive youuuuu." The thought of it made the small dog visibly shiver.

Kakashi only smiled and slipped his hands into his pockets. "I'll be summoning you guys later then."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long hehe but at least the two are making some progress together : ) lol for Naruto always being the ice breaker for some reason. Will Iruka say yes I wonder? You tell me hehehe**


	14. Chapter 13: Pawprints in the Sand

Of Dogs and Men

Chapter 13

"Kakashi-"

"Mah it'll be fine sensei." The man smiled repeating the hand symbols. "You already have a connection with them, you should be able to summon them no problem. Just remember more or less the amount of chakra you put in is what be equivalent to what's gonna be summoned."

Iruka bit his lip, it wasn't necessarily his doubt in being able to summon the pups but there was still the chance of summoning Shinjiru and he knew Kakashi wasn't all too comfortable with the thought of the 'beast' still running free.

"Let's do it together then." The jounin said, moving a little way away but still in front of the chunin. "On three. One. Two..." Iruka held his breath and did the hand signs. "Three!."

In a puff of smoke and a lot of happy barks both Kakashi's and Iruka's packs were greeting them with licks and pounces.

"Sensei are all these dogs yours?" Naruto blinked, staring at his sensei buried under dogs of different sizes.

"Yeah their all mine." Iruka grinned sheepishly, relieved. "Kids, this is Naruto, treat him like you would as a part of the family, don't forget to introduce yourselves."

Kaimu, the biggest was first to lick the gawking boy. "My name's Kaimu." And almost immediately the boy was dog piled.

"Iruka-sensei when did you get ninken?" Naruto laughed as the dogs poked him here and there with their wet noses.

"Long story Naruto, maybe some other time." He laughed as well trying to get the pups were suffocating the boy.

"Phase one complete." Kakashi muttered happily to himself as he could see his prey slowly lowering its guard. Naruto out of all absurdity was in on this agreeing with the viewpoint that Iruka needed some human companionship not that it necessarily had to be Kakashi. Luckily Jiraya and the boy were in the nearby area and the sainin allowed it saying it would be good writing material in the long run. Using the pups as a suitable distraction he prepared for the next phase of his plan.

Iruka frowned as he nursed Ran and Naruto where they were pinched by a very angry crab while they were fishing and poking around the beach for their barbeque dinner. The sun was just beginning to set as he studied the two in the fading light, they lighted the bonfire just half an hour ago so they could start the seafood gumbo and heat the sauces Kakashi had packed with the picnic. He raised an eyebrow however when a half naked Kakashi was hauling a yellow fin tuna half his size above his head.

"Sushi anyone?" the jounin smiled in that way of his as he cleaned the fish that still flopped its fins weakly on the picnic table that the man also had managed to bring when he set up the site the day before.

"MEEEEE!" Naruto bounced, injury forgotten and he began stuffing his face as soon as Kakashi set some fresh cuts in front of him.

Iruka suddenly noticed that for the past minute or two he'd been looking in their direction smiling like an idiot. His gaze travelled to the copy nin's handkerchief covered face and he could have sworn he noticed something that he didn't the first time around, before he could dwell on it more Ran tugged at his sleeve.

"I'm hungry." The pup nibbled a little on the fabric of his shirt for emphasis.

"Ok ok, lets get everyone together then and join those two." He tugged at the pup's cropped ears affectionately, that was the only ever real scar that showed after that incident with the Inuzuka clan. Not only Ran but Izo as well, the ever erect ears making them seem more fierce than the childish pups they still were.

The jumbo was interesting having a bit of all their findings from the afternoon and after that all food somehow was being consumed with their hands now as Kakashi carved out for him another serving of ootoro. Eventually Naruto fell asleep at the table and the pups were the same scattered around the campsite sleeping where they were, bellies round and full. Despite being full grown they still sometimes fell to their puppy ways of eating many and sleeping just as much, with Pakkun however it could be called sloth and gluttony as the pug was somewhere there as well, very round and using a half full bowl as a pillow.

The jounin surprised him with another something from his bag of tricks when he seemed to have pulled out a bottle of sake out of nowhere. He sat down beside the chunin after clearing the table of most of the mess, with the discarded peelings and shells going into the bonfire which was now slowly dying as well.

"Did you enjoy yourself today sensei?" Kakashi tugged the handkerchief away and in the low light of the fire and the moon the academy teacher let his eyes wander on the shadows of that face.

The afternoon was spent playing in the surf with the pups, swimming with them into the reefs down below and teaching them what would be good to eat and incidentally Naruto joined the small class of fluff with equal gusto. He had to tell a few of them off, Naruto included that the giant squid was to be left alone even if they could manage to catch it there was no way of cooking and eating all of it and thus would be a waste in the long run. Sure it would be a walk through hell getting all of them acceptably clean and sand free, but that problem could wait for some other time. The day was perfect. "Yes thank you Kakashi-sensei."

"Mah Iruka drop the honorifics," he draped an arm casually around the other's shoulders. "We've incidentally living under the same roof for how long was it, we've raised pups together, you run my household as if you were my wife, I take you to dinner, walk you home... shall I name more instances where we must be at least familiar enough with each other to drop the sensei?" he used a playful tone, teasing the man. "And maybe a little more than familiar?"

"What-I-uhm." Iruka stuttered a little. "It's become habit I guess... and I didn't want to assume things."

"Assume?" He heard the smile in the tone. "Assume what exactly _sensei."_

"That you..."

"That I...?"

"Were interested in... me?" he let it out in a small mumble.

"I'm more than that Iruka." Kakashi leaned in burying his exposed face in the man's neck and he felt the other shiver deliciously as he breathed. "I want you damn it."

"What about me." Iruka feigned huffing, trying to ignore that jounin that was currently breathing again a very warm spot on his neck.

"Aside from the obvious things, like you're caring, a hard worker, tight ass." He resisted to urge to bite the flesh so close to him at the moment. "For once I think my life is finally taking a turn for the better. You've seen me at my best, my worst, half dead half alive, you saved my sorry ass, you've lived in my house hell I showed you my home and let you make it your home as well with all the books, the tiny figurines and the pictures. I made room for you in my life, for your pups and I made room for your life too and even Naruto, wont you take it?" Kakashi was almost whispering. "Won't you take this space I made for you?"

"Kakashi I-" he wanted to say yes, yes to everything. Yes to a very imagine proposal in his head with this man on one knee. Yes to a life he was also afraid of, a life where the world you put in one person becomes so fragile and easily shattered. Yes to taking the chance of being happy. But there were too many loose ends, there were doubts, there was the whole world to think about that he couldn't care less.

"I'm not asking for forever." He said softly. "Making you happy for a little while would be enough." The chunnin didn't notice that arms that protectively snaked its way around his waist.

Iruka bit his lip, he loved this man. He actually loved this man who only a few years ago was driving his patience thin, who fucked his brains out after a party, who never gave him a second glance after that, who always seemed like a creepy pervert who reads porn in public not in that exact order and possibly in combination. The chunin wiggled away. "I'm putting Naruto to bed." He excused himself and roused the boy enough to get him to his feet and hobble towards the tent as he supported him.

Kakashi's heart fell as he watched the man slowly walk away.

"Kakashi come here." The voice was quiet and he wasn't if it was because of the half asleep bundle of energy he was carrying but the jounin noticed the use of his name and obeyed immediately.

Iruka leaned in his direction and kissed him, lightly running his tongue over the man's lower lip. "How could I say no?" and he smiled before slipping away into the tent leaving the other man grinning like an idiot in the moonlight.


	15. Chapter 14: Crossroads and Choices

**Of Dogs and Men**  
><strong>Author:<strong> remthedogsitter  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R (to be safe)  
><strong>Summary<strong>: (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**Chapter 14: Crossroads and Choices**

"Kaimu don-" before Iruka could complete the warning his largest pup already shook sending the buckets of water in its fur to every other surface of the bathroom that the other pups hadn't soaked. The two men groaned after being drenched in another layer of water, silently thankful that finally they were done. After roughly drying Kaimu Iruka shoved him out of the bathroom none too gently.

"And no rolling on the grass until you're completely dry kids!" the academy teacher called out to the other pups who were shuffling about around the house. Their nails needed a trim soon or the wood floors would have to suffer another round of scratches.

For some reason even Kakashi's ninken had this uncontrollable need to rub themselves on every surface of the house but grass especially after a bath. Iruka stepped into a sandcastle forming on the floor and frowned suddenly remember why they thought it was a good idea at the time to stuff around fifteen dogs into a tiny bathroom, the sand would be a bitch to get out later on.

The man looked around for Kakashi who was already in the fast filling tub, wet clothes discarded in a corner, eyes closed relaxing in the heat.Iruka grinned to himself stripping his own clothes off before attacking the man in the tub.

…

_Half a year later… _

The months were somewhat kind to the both of them, almost settling down into a sort of normalcy. Holding hands in public, going out with the pups who were also being accepted by the villagers as Iruka's pups as well as ninken of the village when they wore their hitai-ates proudly. The pups helped their pa teach wilderness survival and were happy to play the role of a big bad wolf pack out to get unsuspecting ninja during their overnight wilderness survival tests.

Iruka was well ready to bury the past of the pups and Kakashi until he heard rumors going about the mission room, a whole village found asleep and unable to be roused, another succumbing to disease, another part struck by unexplainable drought. There was talk about such a bloodline limit from the village of Mist but they were eradicated during the war and one or another legendary jutsus amongst some jutsu said to have never existed in the first place.

"Anything wrong Ruka?" Kakashi touched his hand from under the table, noticing that the man wasn't as enthusiastic as usual as he talked about his students.

"Just tired." He brushed it off and managed a smile. He's been getting unsettled with their relationship thus far, as if they were moving forward with leaps and bounds and suddenly here they were for the past month or two at a standstill.

The pups were already full grown and maturing just as quickly and becoming less and less dependent on him. The pups hardly ever slept in his room anymore as slowly the man was slowly being settled in their dad's room and Pakkun could only assure them that is what mates do, share a bed and a den.

"I have a headache, can we just go home after?" he muttered rubbing his temples and Kakashi only gave him a nod before finished the tempura in front of him.

….….

_Sun of my brothers, do you see this? The voice was somewhat familiar but muddled. He was standing in the middle of a dark village surrounded by a thick mist as a storm beat mercilessly against his skin. The water chilled his bones as we walked and looked into open windows to see families sleeping, dreaming and tossing here and there. There were men asleep on the streets as well, faces scrunched into a terrified expression as they witnessed their own personal nightmares. _

_ He saw an image of blood and slaughter of the very village he was standing in but as he stumbled back he realized he was merely looking into the dream the village was having. He was breathing heavily like the man whose mind he had looked into as he spun around frantically. "What should I do?" _

_ 'I don't know.' The voice said quietly. 'But you have healed me and perhaps you can heal our sister.' _

_ Something made Iruka look up to the highest point of the village, there was a beast there with the same look in its eyes that Shinjiru had. The killing intent, the twisted smile. The beast had reptilian features, its paws as large as a tigers and large unkept wings were the few things he could make out when a flash of thunder provided some light._

_ 'I have hunted down the others. Many have escaped.' The voice said quickly as the vision was slowly fading. 'If I cannot help them I take them down, my penance…' _

"Ruka." The man opened his eyes to see Kakashi hovering over him. "You were having a bad dream."

Iruka focused on his breathing and willed it to slow. "I'm okay." He reached up and hugged his lover as he sighed relieved. For the past few months his dreams were more prophetic than anything, even down to the simplest things like rain and he's been avoiding them like the plague. These dreams of villages dying could happen to anyone. He pulled away, a hand on each side of the man's face. Iruka looked for a few at his face, stroking what came under his thumb and kissed him lovingly. "I'm okay cause you're here."

Kakashi smirked because it was Saturday as well as the academy teacher's day off at the mission desk. "Them let me take you out and treat you right today, but not before…" his smirked widened as he made his way on top of his lover. "I greet your properly this morning." He nuzzled his face into the warm soft flesh of the chunnin's neck.

"Heh I would like that."

…..….…..

Kakashi shifted about uneasily in his seat as he waited for Iruka to return from the Hokage's office. The pups were outside in the yard napping in the sun as he stared at the silver band in a small black box, it was his mother's ring. He debated with Pakkun about his already, he and Iruka were practically married now, living in the same house sharing their lives and it was the most peace he had ever felt in a long time despite the few bloody missions he was still obliged to complete.

They were already almost with dinner with dessert just waiting for his love to come back. To fill in the time he began slicing the mango graham cake and putting it into two plates, making Iruka's an extra big slice knowing the man's sweet tooth. He was lighting a few candles when he heard the door open.

"Welcome home love." He smiled wide, his eyes going up in its usual arch.

Iruka just dropped down and hugged him tight groaning.

"Cake will make you feel better!" he poked at him feeling something was wrong but he didn't want to ruin the moment.

Iruka started eating the cake and almost immediately was half way through, thinking that cake could drown out the mission he was just given by the Hokage herself. Kakashi smiled again and nuzzled his neck. "Iruka look at me."

The chunin did with a questioning expression with then turned to a very confused, flattered and a whole other mixture of expression that Kakashi couldn't quite place.

"Umino Iruka, would you take this ring and with it..." He was shaking, his breath was dry in his throat as he kneeled there on one knee. "Take my love and my last name…. will you marry me?"

The jounin didn't expect Iruka to basically throw himself at him, hugging his neck tight in a death hug. The chunin was crying. "Shit Kakashi you're breaking my heart." He muttered trying to shove the thoughts of his upcoming mission out of his head.

"…"

"It's a yes Kashi, it's a yes." He whispered, holding on a little tighter. He didn't know where to start, all the months of avoiding the topic and joking himself into believing that it was all behind them. Right now he was at a cross road, duty or the love of his life and a future with him. It was like the pressure had been building all this time and right now the dams were breaking and much to Kakashi's surprise the man was crying like he wouldn't have the chance to ever again.

**A/N: sorry it took so long my laptop charger died and it'll take a week or two to get a new one. Ugh so pissed of cause the real start of this chapter is there including the prologue to the sequel. Well anyway, the epilogue will follow this chapter expect it this week and a sneak peak to the sequel which I actually like more than this one. Reviews=love : ) **


	16. Epilogue: The Unknown

**Of Dogs and Men**  
><strong>Author<strong>: remthedogsitter  
><strong>Rating:<strong> R (to be safe)  
><strong>Summary<strong>: (AU-ish kakairu) Going home from a mission Iruka suddenly finds himself responsible for a litter of seven puppies surrounded by mysterious circumstances, will he be able to find out where they came from in time before their real owner comes looking for them?  
><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I don't own Naruto or their characters in any shape or form

**Epilogue: the Unknown**

"Come on now Ran hold still." Kakashi said gently as he finished wrapping a bandage around the dog's wrist. They were leaving today, all the pups and the love of his life. He looked around the room, the pups he helped raise weren't exactly in high spirits to be leaving but he could see their determination.

"You'll wait for me?" Iruka whispered in his ear snaking his arms around his waistfrom behind.

"Only if you'll come back." The jounin smiled. "So hurry and get your butt back ok? I'm going to miss it." He gave said ass a good grope.

"_Iruka-sensei, we have reason to believe that other failed experiments like the beast you faced last year are responsible for this list of 'plagues' that's been occurring around the smaller villages."_

"_Hokage-sama, with all due respect, I know." He said quietly. "I've seen it in my dream, Shinjiru's been telling me I think." _

"_And what reason do you have for withholding that kind of information?"_

"_Because they were dreams. But I'm taking responsibility, like Shinjiru the other's could be saved." He recalled the pained look the pup left behind used to have._

_She merely nodded putting the information together. Iruka had gotten through that beast somehow with the same magic he had with people like Naruto or Kakashi. "Should I trust you as the only person capable of accomplishing this mission?"_

"_Yes Hokage-sama." He bowed in resignation, there were more important things right now as much as he wished it all away. "However, I want to go alone. Just me and the pups, anyone else would be a liability." His throat was dry as Shinjiru's warning resounded in he head again, he would have to do it alone or not at all._

Iruka walked around the house, trying to commit this new home he shared with Kakashi to memory. He was alone, Kakashi took the dogs to Tsunade one last time but he knew the man had felt that he needed this small window of thinking time, if only for a last second decision. He ran his hand over the surface of the walls, throught the sheets of the bed they shared together as he remembered the smells that has become so familiar now.

He did not know how long this mission would take, too many variables were still unknown like how many experiments were on the loose or if they were even experiments at all. His fingers reached up to the ring hanging from a silver chain around his neck, their engagement ring, Kakashi's mother's ring. Something inside him knew he couldn't bring himself to marry the man right away with the weight of this mission hanging between them, heaven forbid if he doesn't return the jounin's heart wouldn't be able to take another heart ache.

There was unrest in his pack he could feel through their chakra bond and maybe even the feel of Kakashi's hushed argument with Tsunade. He could feel the resignation, then the determination the pups were trying to make Kakakshi feel as well. They weren't the small pups they were before but they've grown and they could protect their sun with their lives if need be.

Shinjiru had been sharing dreams of the past as well, clues to the mystery of the plagues in the smaller villages. The wolf pack they share blood with was hunted by Orochimaru for their ability that seemed to also exist in the woods and valley of their ancestral land. The dreams he's been having were sometimes odd to say the least, seeing himself through the point of view of a wolf even though it was just fragments of memory and he picked up some of the culture and shared it with the pups. They called him their sun and Kakashi their moon was the titled one would give to the pack's mating pair. There were also clues in the form of landmarks he's never seen before amongst other things.

How old was he now? Late twenties was already considered old for a ninja. This was more than a mission now but a soul searching journey and the 'pups' he was going to find were extensions of his responsibility. He walked back to the Konoha gate slowly, savoring the smell of freshly cut grass, such a simple thing to miss.

Kakashi was waiting for him at the gate, solemn with the pups and ninken scattered around him and they were all watching him. The pups needed his resolve and he decided that finally he wouldn't hold back. They were leaving.

He hugged the man tight. "I'll miss you."

"Don't say goodbye as if you were never coming back." Kakashi whispered in his ear, there was a plea somewhere in there almost sounding like don't leave but if you are cant I come with you.

"When I come back I'll marry you remember? That's why I'll make sure to come back." He tightened the embrace. "Wait for me."

"If you take too long I'll come get you."

Little did Iruka know as he walked away from Konoha that might be the last time he'll see his lover again.

_Preview:_

_The Shepherd's Dog _

_Summary: its been five years since Iruka left the village on an important mission and Kakashi has been searching for him ever since. Kakashi's journey leads him deep into iron country where he is later rescued by a shepherd (Iruka) and his eight dogs. Will Kakashi manage to solve the mystery and save Iruka in time?_

_*sequel to Of Dogs and Men but not necessary to understand this story_

_ "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THE MAN I FELL IN LOVE WITH?" Kakashi sank to his knees exasperated as the other merely stared at him with a confused expression._

_ "A ninja in the village? What does he want?" _

_ "He said he's passing through but I doubt that."_

_ "Trail him then, if he looks suspicious leave him to the judgement of the gods of the mountain"_

_ Kakashi's eyes widened as he stared into the opening of the cavern that held rows of what seemed to be hundreds of animal heads in different stages of decomposition with lighted candles scattered about giving the place an eerie glow. _

_ "It is said that the spirit of every living thing resides in its skull or a valuable object at death." The shepherd explained laying another head to the collection. "Here it is offered back to the gods of the mountain."_

_ "Shinjiru what do I have to do to break the curse seal?" Kakashi's voice was stiff as he felt something close to anger whirl up in the pit of his stomach. _

**A/N: Ok my computer is still busted but thankfully this story is done, I'm just so pissed because the prologue to Shepherd's Dog is there. Thank you for all the love and reviews :D I'm promising SD will be great, it'll have a lot of spiritual elements and mystery and the homeland of the pups. Don't forget to follow me to know when the prologue will be up! -rem**


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